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New Games On Old Systems

Bullet Club

Member
A thread for new games that are being made and released for ancient hardware.

There are still a fair few new, interesting looking games coming out on older systems, so I thought it would be a good idea to have a thread to keep track of them and to also look at some of the games that have come out in recent years that might have been missed by people.

Here's something that was posted recently that fits into this subject:

Farming Simulator is coming to the Commodore 64

Portal
System:
Commodore 64
Developer: Jamie Fuller, Del Seymour, Roy Widding
Release Date: Out Now
Price: Free
Website: https://www.jamiefuller.com/portal/

title.gif


A 2D version of Portal.

Review: Portal (C64)




Micro Mages
System:
NES
Developer: Morphcat Games
Release Date: 2019
Price: Digital - €8 EUR + Shipping/Cartridge + Digital - €42 EUR + Shipping
Website: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/micro-mages-a-new-game-for-the-nes#/

Micro-Mages-2.jpg


A nice looking 40kb vertical platformer with funky music.

NES version

All officially released console versions and regions are supported: NTSC NES, PAL NES, Famicom with a 72-to-60-pin cartridge adapter (not included).
High-quality clones such as the retroUSB AVS and Analogue Nt mini are also supported. Furthermore, our testers confirmed the game works on the RetroN 5.
Digital version

Alternatively, we offer a ROM version. This allows you to play the game on your PC and many other platforms through the use of an emulator.
Alongside the ROM download, we will provide easy-to-understand instructions on how to set up an emulator and play Micro Mages on a Windows PC.




Sam's Journey
System:
Commodore 64
Developer: Knights of Bytes
Release Date: Out Now
Price: Digital - $23.99 USD/Boxed Disk - €45/Boxed Cart - €65
Website: https://www.knightsofbytes.games/samsjourney

ZEWOG3n.gif


A colourful and cute platformer with lots of levels.




The Shadows of Sergoth
System:
Amiga, Amstrad CPC 6128
Developer: AgedCode
Release Date: Amstrad version Out Now/Amiga ???
Price: ???
Website: https://doublesidedgames.com/the-shadows-of-sergoth-for-the-commodore-amiga-coming-2019/

Amiga-Mock-Up-01.png


A cool looking dungeon crawler in the style of Dungeon Master, Eye Of The Beholder etc. The Amstrad version has gotten good reviews.



Planet X3
System:
MS-DOS
Developer: David Murray
Release Date: May 2019
Price: DIgita; - US$10/Floppy - US$20/Boxed - US$35
Website: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1973096722/planet-x3-for-ms-dos/description

Y3cqlq8.png


A real-time strategy game for DOS by David Murray AKA The 8-Bit Guy on Youtube. The sequel to Project X2, which came out on the C64.

Can I play the game in emulators?

Yes. it will run on most commonly available emulators like DOSBox, VMware and Virtualbox. However the latter two need a little more tinkering of settings and installing drivers etc, while DOSBox can be used right out of the box for most parts.




More to come.

If you see any errors in this post, let me know and I'll fix them up.

Updates

- 5 more games posted

- Another 5 games posted

- 5 more!
 
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jufonuk

not tag worthy
Man that’s awesome.

They look really good like they push the system to the limit.

I’m guessing that they know all the secrets and tricks of his to get the most out of these machines.

Will be fascinating to see what programmers like this can pull off on the Wii and X360 once more is discovered about them.
 

Bullet Club

Member
Will be fascinating to see what programmers like this can pull off on the Wii and X360 once more is discovered about them.
I was thinking about that while putting the post together. 20 years from now somebody will be making some cool 360 and PS3 games.
 

nkarafo

Member
Although i'm not a huge fan of the idea of limiting yourself on purpose when you have access to better technology, it's still a very interesting experiment to see how far a machine can be pushed.

Most of these modern games look and play far better than whatever was released back then for these machines. It would be interesting to go back and see the reaction of players and reviewers of those times after playing those games. Like, how would the reviews of Portal look back then? Or that Sam's Journey game that graphically looks better than anything on the platform? These are the same systems that were available since the early 80's so it would be possible for these games to exist by then!
 
H

hariseldon

Unconfirmed Member
That Portal game looks fucking amazing! Something about the art style really does it for me. Sam's Journey also looks right up my street. Will definitely have to have a closer look at these!

nkarafo nkarafo I actually think working to limitations can be a really good thing as it forces you to think about what you include and what you don't, and how best to use a limited set of resources - it drives its own innovation in many ways. Think of it a bit like how most musicians produce their best work in their early years when their technique was less good - as they got older they tended to show off, and include stuff that was technically brilliant, and really just throw everything in, but lost the simplicity of their earlier work, leading to creative decline.
 
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Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Some cool stuff there but imo all these (at least the new games not the demakes etc they don't have the rights for) should also be made available on modern digital platforms.

Maybe eventually they will be though, and catering to the hardcore fans of the platforms and their community is a way to profit and get hype before moving there, I dunno.

Dreamcast had a few cool shoot 'em ups and iirc a Turrican-like too relatively recently. I doubt we'll see jaw dropping PS3 etc games like some say, even DC is mostly 2D.
 
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DunDunDunpachi

Patient MembeR
Nice thread!

The only one I have is Neo Heiankyo Alien on the Famicom. It's pretty good if you like the core gameplay.



The original Heiankyo Alien on Game Boy was one of the first (if not the first) games I bought with my own money as a kid.

CAPCOM re-released a copy of Street Fighter II on SNES recently, didn't they? Data East has done some multi-packs recently on NES and SNES, so it's not just fans making carts of new games. The old games are getting re-released too. Pretty nifty.

There are also some cool 8-bit soundtrack carts floating around:

8bitmusicpower.jpg


They're neat. I love seeing the hardware of my childhood treated with such curiosity.
 

stranno

Member
Not a new game but a revamped version of Shadowrun for Genesis.

7JWNrp9.png


SajwVet.png


n00kARH.png


VERSION 1.3 NEW IMPROVEMENTS:

  • All Mr. Johnson pay twice as much as usual per run
  • All contracts have negotiation bonuses
  • The karma points earned by run are higher, except for courier and bodyguad contracts
other previews improvements are:

  • Some weapons and cyberdecks have been renamed
  • All cyberdeck cost less
  • All weapons stores have the same prices for accessories, and they are cheaper
  • All cyberwear stores have the same prices, and in turn, have lower prices
  • The armor values have been readjusted
  • The firearms have been revised to harmonize with the game and at the same time with the first edition of shadowrun
  • Some esprites of NPCs have been changed and the equipment of these
  • Stark is now an ork; In addition, its cyberwear has been slightly modified, so it is possible to install smartlink
  • Illene two fist has been updated with better skills and equipment
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/4116/
 

dirthead

Banned
Although i'm not a huge fan of the idea of limiting yourself on purpose when you have access to better technology, it's still a very interesting experiment to see how far a machine can be pushed.

Most of these modern games look and play far better than whatever was released back then for these machines. It would be interesting to go back and see the reaction of players and reviewers of those times after playing those games. Like, how would the reviews of Portal look back then? Or that Sam's Journey game that graphically looks better than anything on the platform? These are the same systems that were available since the early 80's so it would be possible for these games to exist by then!

The sad thing is that it looks like these games don't even push the hardware as far as it was pushed in the 80s and 90s, honestly. The Tanglewood game, for example, would have been brushed off as shovelware even in the early 90s.
 

nkarafo

Member
The sad thing is that it looks like these games don't even push the hardware as far as it was pushed in the 80s and 90s, honestly. The Tanglewood game, for example, would have been brushed off as shovelware even in the early 90s.
Well, Pier Solar is one of the most beautiful looking RPGs on the system though.

But you are right, i feel like the 16bit machines were already pushed to their limits in the mid 90's. I don't think any hobbyists today can do anything more impressive outside some tech demos. But i don't think the old 8bit computers had this. I struggled to find a single platform game on the C64 (that was released back in the day) that looks as good as a good looking NES game. But there are a few modern ones that fill that gap. Seems to me these machines weren't pushed to their limits the same way during their life span.
 
H

hariseldon

Unconfirmed Member
The sad thing is that it looks like these games don't even push the hardware as far as it was pushed in the 80s and 90s, honestly. The Tanglewood game, for example, would have been brushed off as shovelware even in the early 90s.

I don't know about pushing hardware necessarily but I agree that for instance Tanglewood doesn't look that good, but that's primarily a problem of art for me, rather than technicals. The thing to remember is that in the 90s the very best of the best were working on this stuff, and were immersed in the culture that led to the creation of those artifacts. Now we're going back to that equipment, but whatever we create is going to be influenced by modern sensibilities, for better or worse, while also being subject to the limitation that the best, truly skilled, creators, who really understood the medium, are no longer working in that space. Some stuff will be utterly wonderful, no doubt, but the small number of releases, the amateur/small company nature of most projects, in a way it becomes more remeniscent of late-era Amiga releases, after the big publishers had left the platform.

I will say, to their credit, to me Sam's Journey looks wonderful, and Portal does what it does well, even if it's not 'pretty'. Both take advantage of the bonus to readibility of the low-pixel environments vs modern hi-res 3D where details get lost among details. Consider Lemmings - so much character evoked in a tiny number of pixels shows the benefit of this approach and Portal especially oozes that.

Hope my ramble makes sense.
 

dirthead

Banned
I don't know about pushing hardware necessarily but I agree that for instance Tanglewood doesn't look that good, but that's primarily a problem of art for me, rather than technicals. The thing to remember is that in the 90s the very best of the best were working on this stuff, and were immersed in the culture that led to the creation of those artifacts. Now we're going back to that equipment, but whatever we create is going to be influenced by modern sensibilities, for better or worse, while also being subject to the limitation that the best, truly skilled, creators, who really understood the medium, are no longer working in that space. Some stuff will be utterly wonderful, no doubt, but the small number of releases, the amateur/small company nature of most projects, in a way it becomes more remeniscent of late-era Amiga releases, after the big publishers had left the platform.

I will say, to their credit, to me Sam's Journey looks wonderful, and Portal does what it does well, even if it's not 'pretty'. Both take advantage of the bonus to readibility of the low-pixel environments vs modern hi-res 3D where details get lost among details. Consider Lemmings - so much character evoked in a tiny number of pixels shows the benefit of this approach and Portal especially oozes that.

Hope my ramble makes sense.

In the case of the Tanglewood game, it doesn't even have smooth scrolling. Like, even on real hardware, it doesn't even scroll smoothly. It's a joke compared to something like Sonic. I don't see any raster effects or anything fancy like that either.
 

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
The point is you're making a generalization based on one game you keep using as an example. Others do push them. And a game doesn't have to push them to be good either. It's not like the first you quoted said ALL homebrew games push them, that would be silly given so many of them are simply amateur fan experiments at best. Others are way more professional. Tanglewood has few but positive Steam reviews so hey some people got enjoyment out of it even if the framerate doesn't look too hot.
 
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Wouldn't mind finding some SNES games that I can throw on my SD2SNES.

I recall a fighting game getting released recently but I can't think of the name.
 

Bullet Club

Member
Here are the next lot of games. I'll put a link to this post in the OP.


Castlevania: Spectral Interlude
System:
ZX Spectrum 128
Developer: SaNchez, darkman007, diver4d
Release Date: Out Now
Price: Free
Website: http://spectralinterlude.com/

YWdJgmU.jpg


This started off as a port/demake of Castlevania II: Simon's Quest but they ended up making a whole new game instead. I used to play it on the GP2X Caanoo, it's good fun.



Fork Parker's Crunch Out
System: SNES
Developer: Mega Cat Studios
Release Date: ???
Price: US49.99
Website: https://megacatstudios.com/products/fork-parkers-crunch-out

YhK2Fxd.jpg


A game about video game developer crunch. Topical!



Aquabyss
System:
Amiga
Developer: AgedCode
Release Date: ???
Price: ???
Website: http://aquabyss.com/

Bdi9Ahs.jpg


This game was only just announced today. It's from the creators of The Shadows of Sergoth.



R0x Zero
System: Atari ST/STE
Developer: Retro Gamer CD
Release Date: Out Now
Price: Free
Website: https://demozoo.org/productions/195243/

Y692LUz.jpg


A very nice looking and sounding SHMUP that's in a ST scene demo.



Tiger Claw
System:
C64, Amiga, Amiga CD32
Developer: Lazycow and Saul Cross
Release Date: C64 Out Now/ Amiga Soon
Price: C64 - US2.99/Amiga ???
Website: https://rgcddev.itch.io/tiger-claw

WJuOxsU.gif


A game inspired the C64 classic Bruce Lee. The Amiga version id supposed to be out around Xmas time.

 

Airola

Member
This game is basically already retro within these types of modern retro games as it was first made in 2007 and physically released in 2009, but I can't stress enough how good game JOE GUNN for the Commodore 64 is.
Sure, it's not as flashy as all these newer games for the old systems are but for anyone who loves a game like La-Mulana you have to play this one!

Pw9AhU6.gif


You can get the game as a digital download for FREE (or pay what you want) here:
https://psytronik.itch.io/joe-gunn

You can buy the physical version here:
Disk
Tape
 

God Enel

Member
First time i saw this thread and i love it. Subscribed! Im always in for some good retro games. Will check out some of the videos later!

Thank you OP.

I never knew there are still games released on the old consoles. Thats awesome.
 

Bullet Club

Member
Water Margin: The Tales of Clouds and Winds
System:
Mega Drive/Genesis
Developer: Never Ending Soft
Release Date: Out Now
Price: US$39.99
Website: https://pikointeractive.com/store/#...nd-Winds-Genesis/p/53205768/category=14008387

96zFJf5.png


This game was originally released in Asia in 1996, so it's not technically a new game, but it was only in the past few years that Piko Interactive picked up the rights to it and released an English version of it in the West.

There's a disclaimer on the website that mentions that the game may not work on Retron 5 or Retro Freak or any emulator based consoles.



Rogue
System: ZX Spectrum
Developer: Dmitry Krapivin
Release Date: Out Now
Price: Free
Website: https://zx-pk.ru/attachment.php?attachmentid=65618&d=1530008416

VfTDjfZ.jpg


An old school roguelike on an old school system.



Merchant
System:
Atari ST
Developer: Masters of Electric City
Release Date: Out Now
Price: Free
Website: https://demozoo.org/productions/195307/

yv8P39K.jpg


A trading simulator with monochrome graphics for Atari's 16-bit computer.



Heroes of Gorluth
System: Amiga 1200, Amiga CD32
Developer: AmiWorx
Release Date: 2019
Price: €16.80
Website: https://shop.phenix-noir.de/

HRMd95c.jpg


A Castlevania style platformer.



Anguna: Warriors of Virtue
System:
GBA, Nintendo DS
Developer: Bite the Chili Productions
Release Date: Out Now
Price: Free
Website: http://www.tolberts.net/anguna/

3SaWUKz.png


A great looking homebrew action RPG that features 6 dungeons and a large overworld area. have seen GBA carts for the game although I'm not sure where they are sold.



There's also an Atari 2600 version of Anguna which can be bought on cart or can be downloaded for free.

http://www.tolberts.net/anguna2600/

 
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God Enel

Member
Maybe it’s a dumb question - because the system is written next to it - but are some of the games released on PC as well? Or are they really exclusive to the console. I’d love to play some of those games and i know my old (LCD from 2010) can’t handle snes anymore even though I can connect it to my TV.

Edit: btw I love it when the bell top right shows 1 and it’s this thread.

Thank you so much dude. I really appreciate this thread!!
 
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Bullet Club

Member
Maybe it’s a dumb question - because the system is written next to it - but are some of the games released on PC as well? Or are they really exclusive to the console. I’d love to play some of those games and i know my old (LCD from 2010) can’t handle snes anymore even though I can connect it to my TV.
Most of the games I've listed so far aren't out on the PC. They can be played on emulators on the PC though.

Edit: btw I love it when the bell top right shows 1 and it’s this thread.

Thank you so much dude. I really appreciate this thread!!
Thanks God Enel God Enel :messenger_grinning:
 

Lucumo

Member
Can they just use the name of "Portal" like that? After all, there is already a Portal game from 1986 which got released on the C64, Amiga, Apple II and DOS.
 

Bullet Club

Member
Can they just use the name of "Portal" like that? After all, there is already a Portal game from 1986 which got released on the C64, Amiga, Apple II and DOS.
Don't think it matters, the company that released it probably hasn't been around for decades.

Games being released with the same name happened occasionally back in the day. Barbarian by Psygnosis and the more famous Barbarian by Palace Software being the main one that springs to mind.
 
H

hariseldon

Unconfirmed Member
Don't think it matters, the company that released it probably hasn't been around for decades.

Games being released with the same name happened occasionally back in the day. Barbarian by Psygnosis and the more famous Barbarian by Palace Software being the main one that springs to mind.

True, games were much smaller business back then though, fewer lawyers.
 

Sleepydays

Banned
Awesome thread, thank you!

Just got hooked up with some retrovision HD cables and an Everdrive. What are the top tier modern Genesis games?
 

Bullet Club

Member
Just got hooked up with some retrovision HD cables and an Everdrive. What are the top tier modern Genesis games?
Pier Solar & Tanglewood are two of the better ones.

Here are some other MD/Gen games that haven't been talked about yet.

Papi Commando
System:
Mega Drive/Genesis, Intellivision, PC
Developer: Studio Vetea
Release Date: 2016
Price: ???
Website: https://vetea.itch.io/papi-commando-megadrive-version-

4HicUnf.jpg




Miniplanets
System:
Mega Drive/Genesis
Developer: Sik the Hedgehog
Release Date: 2017
Price: Free/Name Your Price
Website: https://sik.itch.io/miniplanets

SIgxPPX.jpg


2.5D platformer that features a rotating effect.



Beggar Prince
System:
Mega Drive/Genesis, Windows, Mac OS X
Developer: Super Fighter Team
Release Date: Out Now
Price: Sold Out
Website: http://www.beggarprince.com/

X304eMl.gif


A Taiwanese role playing game that was originally released in 1996. It got an English translation and a cart release about a decade later. In 2013 a PC/Mac version was released.



Legend Of Wukong
System:
Mega Drive/Genesis, Windows, Mac OS X
Developer: Gamtec/Super Fighter Team
Release Date: Out Now
Price: Sold Out
Website: http://www.legendofwukong.com/

RvIn9v6.jpg


A Taiwanese role playing game that was originally released in 1996. It got an English translation and a cart release about a decade later. In 2013 a PC/Mac version was released.

Deja vu!



Duke Nukem 3D
System:
Mega Drive/Genesis
Developer: 3D Realms
Release Date: 2015 (Re-release)
Price: ???
Website: pikointeractive.com

e1gDUTw.jpg


A game about a man named Duke. Duke Nukem. In 3D.

 

God Enel

Member
People are putting so much effort into those games and I love it. So you think they get their investment back? I mean when you’re selling games for a ~20+ year old system you don’t expect to move a lot of games/get your money back?!
 

Bullet Club

Member
People are putting so much effort into those games and I love it. So you think they get their investment back? I mean when you’re selling games for a ~20+ year old system you don’t expect to move a lot of games/get your money back?!
It's hard to know. Sam's Journey has sold over 2000 copies, which the Knights Of Bytes & Protovision seem very happy about.
 

God Enel

Member
It's hard to know. Sam's Journey has sold over 2000 copies, which the Knights Of Bytes & Protovision seem very happy about.

Well that’s quite a lot. I didn’t expect it to be that much. But I still don’t know if it makes up for all the money they spent into creating the game.

When I see all those games I’d love to have a genesis / mega drive. I never owned one and grew up with a Super Nintendo but it seems a plethora of games is still released for the Sega console, whereas nearly none are seeing a snes release.. I as a retro game lover should maybe buy a genesis and play the old games, plus when I see “a lot of” games still being released on it makes me think it’s kinda worth it and the megadrive/genesis seems to be a great system.
 

stranno

Member
Surgical Strike was re-released for 32X CD like a year ago. The Sega CD version was commonly available but the 32X CD game (with improved visuals) was long lost until The Code Monkeys got a copy and re-released it again.



Its an interesting FMV game with some cool mechanics, but it is so damn hard, much harder than Dragons Lair and that kind of on-rails FMV games.
 
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Bullet Club

Member
When I see all those games I’d love to have a genesis / mega drive. I never owned one and grew up with a Super Nintendo but it seems a plethora of games is still released for the Sega console, whereas nearly none are seeing a snes release.. I as a retro game lover should maybe buy a genesis and play the old games, plus when I see “a lot of” games still being released on it makes me think it’s kinda worth it and the megadrive/genesis seems to be a great system.
I'll post some SNES stuff tomorrow. There are some interesting re-releases for it.
 

Bullet Club

Member
There doesn't seem to be a lot of SNES stuff, except for re-releases and English translations.

Dorke and Ymp
System: SNES, PC
Developer: Norse
Release Date: 2015
Price: A$7.50 on Steam, SNES ???
Website: pikointeractive.com

4lw9yBg.jpg


Dorke and Ymp is a commercially-released homebrew SNES platformer that was originally developed by a small team of Swedish hobbyists in the early 90s, who eventually shelved the game after failing to find a publisher.

A few prototype builds were released online, with homebrew publisher Piko Interactive later being responsible for the game being finished and given a physical cartridge release. A Steam release using a customized version of the Mednafen emulator followed about a year later.



Sydney Hunter and the Caverns of Death
System:
SNES
Developer: Collectorvision
Release Date: 2018
Price: $40
Website: https://collectorvision.com/shop/snes/sydney-hunter-and-the-caverns-of-death/

owqYfyc.png


This game is or has come out on a lot of systems, but according to the video below the games are a bit different on the Switch/X0/PS4 etc.



Data East All Classic Collection
System: SNES (NTSC)
Developer: Data East
Release Date: 2017
Price: A$39.80
Website: https://www.play-asia.com/data-east-all-classic-collection/13/70bnun

fTUmxli.jpg


The Classic Collection from Data East brings you a brand new 5-in-1 cartridge for your original or 3rd party SNES® console. Published by Retro-Bit® with you in mind. Stop searching, sit back, and enjoy these classics on one cartridge.

Games:
- Fighter's History
- Fighter's History Mizoguchi
- Magical Drop
- Magical Drop 2
- Super Side Pocket



Jaleco Brawler's Pack
System:
SNES (NTSC)
Developer: Jaleco
Release Date: 2017
Price: A$41.23
Website: https://www.play-asia.com/jaleco-brawlers-pack/13/70bnup

xxlVXOc.jpg


Test your might with the new Jaleco Brawler's Pack, featuring 4 side scrolling beat 'em up on one cartridge. Published by Retro-Bit® and compatible with all original or 3rd party SNES® consoles. Are you up to the challenge?

Games:
- Rival Turf
- Brawl Brothers
- The Peace Keepers
- Tuff E Nuff



Joe & Mac Ultimate Caveman Collection
System: SNES (NTSC)
Developer: Data East
Release Date: 2017
Price: A$46.91
Website: https://www.play-asia.com/joe-mac-ultimate-caveman-collection/13/70bnv3

qIAVzAf.jpg


All 3 smash hits in 1 compilation for the first time! Includes all 3Super Nintendo® / Super Famicom Joe & Mac games - Joe & Mac: Caveman Ninja, Congo's Caper (Joe & Mac Sequel) and Joe & Mac 2: Lost in Tropics. Joe & Mac will bring you back in time! Relive the adventure as you travel every nostalgic level and battle enemies along the path.

Games:
- Joe and Mac
- Congo's Caper
- Joe and Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics

 

liberteer

Neo Member
Just want to say this is fantastic and I'm really looking forward to next life... when I'm about five, I'm gonna play all of these (or Contra again).
 
H

hariseldon

Unconfirmed Member
Sydney Hunter looks right up my street - the kind of platformer I tend to enjoy.
 
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