Dirt Poor Gamer

Not sure if I want to revive this blog you are reading right now. But I don't want to say it's dead.

That said, visit my new hobby blog - Dirt Poor Gamer.

If you don't have much time and disposable income to game, this site is for you.

Mini Review of Retroarch Android Console Emulator

If you want an all-in-one solution for your Android emulation gaming needs you gotta get  Retroarch. This emulator has almost all retro consoles and handhelds from Nes to Ps1. It can even run Doom and Cave Story as bonus. All this for free!

If you have Android ICS or JB, you gotta get this thing instead of pirating or paying for emulators.

F-Zero GBA awesome remake

Remember the Snes futuristic racing game F-Zero? Well there was a GBA remake subtitled as Maximum Velocity. This remake have improved graphics and a little bit of a tweaked control scheme. That said, this game is still fun but balls hard. I think this version is even harder than the original. If you have a GBA, get this game. Hell, get an emulator and give this title a shot. You will be pleasantly surprised how fun this is.

DBGL - Easy to Use DosBox Frontend

If you want to play old DOS era games then you can't go wrong using DBGL. DBGL or DosBox Game Launcher is a very simple, but powerful, cross-platform DosBox frontend. All you need to do is to mount the directory where the game is saved. Once you have defined the proper directories, just click on play and you're good to go. The best thing about this is that you really don't have to tweak and fiddle with the CPU, frameskip, and other settings. Although, you can change everything, if ever you need to tweak these options.

DBGL also offer pre-made packages of full version games (like Elder Scrolls: Arena and Daggerfall) to Shareware games (like Doom and Duke Nukem). To use packages just download the package and associate it with DBGL.

Playing DOS games have never been this easy. If you still have your old copy of DOS games, just use this app, no need to re-purchase classic games from GOG. 

I Will Play Daggerfall In Celebration of Skyrim

Also known as I can't play Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on my old PC, so I'll just play Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall instead.

Download the Daggerfall exe here for free and legally. This executable package is actually the full game wrapped in Dosbox so that you don't have to dick around with the settings.

Dragon Warrior 4 (NES) - Retro Capsule Review

When I finished Dragon Warrior 3 for the Gameboy Color, I was convinced that this series is on equal footing with the classic Final Fantasy games. Now that I'm close to finishing Dragon Warrior 4 for the NES, I can safely say that this series lives up to the hype. Dragon Warrior 4 is the best Dragon Warrior for the NES I have played so far. Just to be clear, I have not played Dragon Warrior VII for the Playstation or Dragon Warrior 9 for the DS yet. I only played the Gameboy versions and the NES versions. That said, I have no regrets playing the NES versions. Sure, the controls are a bit clunky and old fashioned, but everything else holds up - especially the story.

Speaking of story, Dragon Warrior 4 might be the first RPG that splits the plot into chapters. In this game you have 4 chapters and you play different characters in each one.

Note: This review was cut short due to my own fault. I was playing the game and I was near the end of it but I had to stop due to real life getting in the way. So here you have the abrupt ending to this article. Sorry.

Playstation Emulator ePSxe Works in Ubuntu Wine

I tried to install native Playstation One emulators for Ubuntu (in my case Jolicloud), but they are way slower. So in desperation I tried to use ePSxe for Windows in Wine. It works beautifully. I used Peops Soft Driver 1.8 for the graphics plug in and I used SPU core or Peops Sound plug in for the sound. It works great in Wine even faster than the native PSX emulator and PSXr. I may have the wrong configuration on the native emulators, but I won't bother with them for the moment because I have something that works fine now.

If you need a PSX emulator, just Google for it and you'll find a shit ton of them. 

I'm playing Final Fantasy IX in the emulator and it works great. I just can't get into the game. The truth is, after I beat Dragon Quest 3, I can't seem to get into any game anymore. Hm, video game burn out part a hundred, maybe?

Dragon Warrior 3 GBC - Capsule Review

If I had any doubts before why the Dragon Warrior series were so popular in Japan - all of that disappeared when I finished Dragon Warrior 3 for the Gameboy Color. The game has improved a whole lot from the NES version but it is still the honest to goodness Dragon Warrior 3 in every sense. Sure, the graphics were upgraded to reflect the modern aesthetics of the Gameboy Color but the gameplay was streamlined to make it more accessible to the modern gamers.

That said, Dragon Warrior is still such a traditional RPG that had critical acclaim but was mostly dismissed by gamers back then. The problem is with the grinding. If you have not played the original NES version you will think that you're grinding too much in this remake. However, people should realize that the NES version had about three times the grinding necessary than this version. I honestly did not have to grind that much to level up because the leveling had been accelerated in the game.

There are some flaws with the game, though. The biggest one is the arbitrariness of it all. For example, how the heck can you know that the Pixy Flute was located four steps below the bathhouse without using a FAQ? I talked to all the townspeople as far as I know, but I did not get this clue from anyone. Aside from this problem, Dragon Warrior 3 is a handheld RPG masterpiece. And just to prove to you how good this game is, this game convinced me to replay the old Dragon Warriors for the NES. I will start with Dragon Warrior 4 NES and then Dragon Warrior 2 NES.

If you can track this title down, then do yourself a favor and play this one to completion. It is so good to play such a traditional RPG that started it all.

Ninja Taro Gameboy Capsule Review

I played Ninja Taro for the original Gameboy a couple of years ago using a FAQ. Unfortunately, the FAQ was not quite finished so I ended up not knowing what to do next. It's not that the game is super arbitrary, however, since I was so dependent on the FAQ, I wasn't paying much attention to the clues and details given by the NPCs.

Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you about the game. Ninja Taro is a Zelda clone. A damn good one at that. Basically, you are a ninja and you need to do something or other for your master. Hah, it was so long ago that I forgot the stupid story of the game and I'm too lazy to look it up on Wikipedia. Anyway, you are a ninja, so you get a sword, ninja stars, and some other cool weapon upgrades. As with Zelda mechanic, you cannot access some of the places yet without getting the necessary equipment. For example, you need a sickle if you want to cross gaps or you need an ax in order to chop down some trees. That kind of thing.

This game is great! I have to say that I like this one better than even any Zelda for the Gameboy original or Gameboy Color. The medieval Japanese backdrop is appropriate and a breath of fresh air. The monsters are balls hard. The puzzles are all logical even without a FAQ. The game's graphics are not too shabby either. The art is cutesy and whimsical, but it is appropriate to the theme of the game and does not subtract from my enjoyment of the gameplay.  

If you have a Gameboy emulator (a Dingoo a320) or if you own a real Gameboy, track this game down and play it.

Disney Sports Soccer - Gameboy Advance (GBA)

Again, I'm playing games that is not on my 2011 retro gaming list. Not that anybody cares, oh well. I'm playing Disney Sports Soccer for the GBA emulated on my Dingoo a320 of course.

The game is soccer and is designed mainly for people who are not really that familiar with the in-depth rules of soccer. The game just takes a 5 on 5 approach to the game. Your players are lead by Donald, Ben, Goofy, Mickey, and Minnie. The game has a lot to offer in terms of graphics, gameplay, and unlockables. Basically, you can unlock a lot of power ups that will add to your defensive or offensive capabilities by beating stages in the game. This makes the game highly replayable and great for a bite sized game of soccer.

If you have a real Gameboy Advance, you can play head-to-head with a friend. Since I only have it on EMU, I can only play against the somewhat formidable AI. I play as the Sea Ducks because I like Donald Duck to be my star player.

This is a great soccer game by far, better than the realistic soccer games on any system. If you are just a casual soccer game fan, this is a must have for you, even on emulation.

Pocket Soccer - Gameboy Color

I know that this game is not on my list of  2011 retrogaming line up, but still I need to write about this awesome game.

Pocket Soccer for the Gameboy color is a great fantasy soccer game. There are a lot of features that can be found on other franchise soccer games. You can trade players in league play, you can play quick start, or just play automatically in the play offs. The players in the game are not real football stars, as far as I know, so correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm enjoying this title so much that I feel rather sad that I was not able to buy the cart ('coz I think it was released only in Europe). However, because of emulation, I can enjoy this great soccer game. I'm about a couple of hours into the game and I found out that some players have powers like super speed. I have yet to discover another power up or player skill, but even without the manual I'm still enjoying the game so much.

Even if you are not a soccer fan, you will enjoy this title immensely. I have to thank the developer of this game, Mike Follin.    

Spiderman 2 - The Sinister 6 (GBC)

The Gameboy Color must be the most overlooked Nintendo handheld ever made. There are actually good GBC exclusive games like Dragon Warrior 3, Metal Gear Solid, and the Zelda Oracle games. As you know, I'm into less known games. I stumbled upon the Spiderman series for the GBC and I surprisingly enjoyed Spiderman 2.

I think that the controls for Spiderman 2 is very responsive. The sprite animation is fluid but does not compromise the speed at which you need to execute moves. The game overall is like an action RPG. You gain skills as you kill bad guys in this game.

The story is pretty much trivial. You are Spiderman, they are the Sinister 6, go get 'em. In this game, you really don't need much of a story to enjoy the experience. The levels are not that great, but the boss fights are at least a bit interesting, though sometimes you need to die a few times to establish the pattern of the bosses. That's fine, it adds a bit to the challenge of the game. And believe me, it needs the challenge since most of it is not that hard to beat.

If you have a GBC or an emulator, I suggest that you give this title a try. It's pretty mediocre but it's loads of fun swinging around New York as Spidey.

Batman - Chaos In Gotham (GBC)

If you have been reading this blog for a long time (and I know you do because this is the most popular site on the web) then you already know that I suck at action games. This game, Batman -Chaos in Gotham is a good licensed beat 'em up for the Gameboy Color. Obviously, it's an action game, so I suck at it, but somehow I managed to finish it.

As you can see from the video above, the game is very faithful to the Batman - The Animated Series (BTAS) cartoon. The graphics is good looking and the animation is fairly fluid for a GBC game. It's not the best Batman game in the world, but it has a certain charm that kept me on my toes enough to finish it. The story 'aint that complicated either but it is easy to spoil so I won't go into any detail.

If you are hungry for a good handheld game, Chaos in Gotham can sate a bit of your Batman videogame craving - at least for a little while.

Dingoo Help, Links & Resources

I never stopped loving my Dingoo since purchasing it a few months ago. Imagine, playing retro console games like the Nes, Genesis, Snes, and a shit ton of other console and arcade games right in the palm of your hands. The Dingoo is great for a handheld gaming machine at an affordable price of less than a hundred bucks.

A lot of people think that the Dingoo is some crap device just because it is Chinese made. However, this thing has been with me for a few months now and I use it mercilessly. Believe me, this thing can withstand rugged conditions.

The Dingoo design is an obvious rip-off of the Gameboy Micro but it is slightly bigger and heavier. The menu is a rip-off of the PSP UI as well. Aside from this, the device feels comfortable in the hands, and the buttons are actually sturdy and responsive. The screen is about two inches and it is good enough for playing games and watching a few movies. Yes, you heard me right, this little puppy can play mp3's and a whole lot of video codecs. This is not just a gaming console it is also a great portable media player.

If you want to learn more about the Dingoo (or if you already have one), here are some links that will help you get the most out of this little wonder.

1. Dingoo Digital - This is the unofficial English support site for Dingoo. You can find a lot of custom firmwares, themes, and emulators in the site. They also have a very helpful forum if you have queries about the device. Sadly, the site is not updating as much anymore.

2. Dingoonity - This is a community site with an extensive Wiki, Forum, and news updates about the Dingoo. If you want to know what the Dingoo native emulators can play (or not play), they have a Wiki of non-working games.

3. Dingoo Scene - If you want to learn a whole lot about Dingux or how to run Linux on your Dingoo, Dingoo Scene is the site for you. Why run Dingux at all, you ask? Well, you'll get the benefit of better emulation, better, menu, and better codec support.

Do you own a Dingoo? Do you know of any other Dingoo sites out there? Share it with us in the comments.

Treasure Hunter G - 100% English Translation

Treasure Hunter G is a highly overlooked RPG from Squaresoft. It was released at about the end of the Snes life cycle and was never released in North America. Thanks to Metalhawk the English speaking fans can now enjoy the game in 100% English.

I'm just on the third town, so I have not played much of the game. I find the gameplay awesome from the short time that I played it. Basically, the combat is like that of Final Fantasy Tactics. You have characters that you can move around with something similar to action points. You can then choose to use an item, defend, use physical attacks, or use magical attacks/support.

The graphics in this game is equal to that of Tales of Phantasia. It's gorgeous for a 16-bit title. Sadly, the characters and storyline is very generic. Can you believe that the main characters were named Red and Blue? The lack of an original story is one of the many reasons why this title was highly overlooked.

That said, there is nobody stopping you from trying out this game in emulation. If you can ignore the generic storyline, the gameplay of Treasure Hunter G is a solid 5 of 5 in my opinion.

Click here to get the game. P6XCMP4BZCMC

The Not Exhaustive List of Where You Can Play Old Consoles Online

This is the not very exhaustive list of where you can play old consoles online. If you have been living under a rock, then you may not know about websites using emulation to allow visitors to play old console games on their sites. Some of these sites are, of course, highly illegal and you will probably burn in hell for taking part in such travesty.

Now that that's out of the way, here is the list.

1. Vizzed - This is the most awesomest online emulation site on the web today. Go take advantage of them now, while Nintendo is not looking. Vizzed has almost all retro console--from the NES and the SMS to the Gameboy advance and the N64. Go visit them now!

2. Play Sega - This is a legal endeavor by Sega Corporation. They have a few titles you can play for free, but they do have a VIP-like system where you buy points to play premium games. It's still worth your time to check out if you are a Sega fan.

3. Game Oldies - This is another highly illegal site, I'm certain, that has some Sega, NEC Turbographics16, and SMS games.

4. Virtual NES, PlayNES, and Nintendo8 - Guess what these sites emulate? I'm sure Nintendo of Japan have no English speaking employees and Nintendo of America is not connected to the Internet at all.

Well, that's all for now. Leave a comment if you have any other site you want to contribute to the list.

Revisiting Final Fantasy Adventure

Since getting into Let's Play videos on Youtube, I have been inspired to revisit old games that I have not finished due to emulator problems or my own incompetence. This week, I got me a copy of Final Fantasy Adventure for the original Gameboy. This game is also called Seiken Densetsu or Secret of Mana or Mystic Quest--whatever! The game is awesome, that's all you need to know. It is a hundred times better than the GBA remake.

I currently played until the airship scenario where I encounter Julius for the fourth (?) time in the game. When you play this game, it is not a spoiler to say that you will hate Julius at this point of the game. I honestly don't know what will happen next since this is as far as I got during my previous playthrough.

It is really a cool action/RPG which is relatively easier compared to Crystalis or Battle of Olympus. It is much more forgiving and you level up quite often. In my experience, your character does not really run out of healing items and curative spells. In addition, your HP/MP will replenish every time you level up.

The only downside I see with this underrated, hidden gem is THAT puzzle. The puzzle I'm talking about will infuriate even the patient gamer. Unless you look at a FAQ you will never figure out that damn puzzle. A lot of people claim that they figured out the puzzle after hours of poking around, but I do not have that patience. I just looked at the FAQ and everything went smoothly from there.

If you own a Wiz, Dingoo, or a Gameboy, this game is a must play. Don't bother with the GBA remake unless you are that much of a graphics whore.  

I will update this post with a few more details after I finish the game. Or maybe I'll just make another blog post about how awesome this game is again.

The Grindtastic Awesomeness of Dragon Warrior

Ah, the seminal console RPG, Dragon Warrior I. What can I say about it, it's the first RPG and it is rock hard, Nintendo hard. That is why I cheated and played the Gameboy color version instead of playing the NES one for my retrogame challenge.

You play the descendant of heavenly hero, Eldrick (or Loto), out to rid the world of the evil Dragon Lord and save princess Lora along the way. Unlike the modern console RPGs we are used to, you play as a lone warrior in a turn-based combat system that has become standard for JRPGs.

This game for the GBC has been toned down a lot. For example, the encounter rate is not that frequent and leveling up is a lot faster. Plus, you get to take advantage of the field log. The field log allows you to save anywhere in the game, which is nice since you can only save when you meet the king in the original Dragon Warrior.

The GBC version also has updated graphics. Nothing spectacular but it's cute and still very much influenced by the art of Akira Toriyama. The sprites really stand out and the monsters are very detailed, much like the NES version.

I can't recommend that you play this game. If you have nothing better to do, then go ahead. However, if you want a good storyline and great visuals, I suggest that you play Final Fantasy XIII, you 3D graphics whore!

NES - Battle of Olympus

This game is hard as nails. Battle of Olympus is an old NES action/RPG that is highly overlooked. It copies a bit of Zelda 2, but it has improved a lot of it greatly. You play an unnamed hero out to prove yourself to the Greek gods of old. Frack the storyline, though. This game is the shit. This must be one of the very first implementation of a Metroidvania gameplay. Much as I hate using that term, that is the best description of the gameplay of this game.

Like I said above, this game is very difficult. I feel that this game is even more difficult than the NES Crystalis. The most dangerous creatures in this game are the small bats, slime, and maybe the birds. Don't worry about boss fights like the Cyclops or Hydra. If you are man enough to survive the little pests, you will have no problem dealing with the bosses for the most part.

The video above is a Let's Play series for this game. As you can see on the 12 episodes, this game is a killer. You can die in levels where you face small but speedy enemies. The screen in some of the levels gets fast and furious even if you are equipped with the best sword in the game.

I have not yet finished the game. I have to load save states multiple times to even get through a lot of the stages. I'm now going for the Pegasus, which is no small task as you can see from video 5 of the Let's Play series.

I'm still charging my Dingoo as I write this post, so it will be some time before I can get back to the game. If you are a retrogamer, this game will satisfy your Action/RPG cravings. It's hard and frustrating, but you will not be able to drop your controller.

Edit: I beat the game after a thousand loads of save states. Any idea what NES games I can play now? I'm planning to play Castlevania 3, Dragon Warrior, or Zelda 2.

Shadowrun for the Genesis (Revisited)

This Let's Play series for Shadowrun on the Genesis inspired me to finish the game without using any cheat codes whatsoever. This Let's Play or LP is one of the funniest LP's I've ever seen.

The LPer, Chilitomatonoodle, is a funny guy. The LP is not yet finished because Chilitomatonoodle got stuck on the quest to find the dragon, but it's still worth watching and waiting for the next installment.

Just go Southwest and West, Chilitomatonoodle! Please continue your great work!

Shadowrun must be the best RPG on the Sega Genesis (Megadrive), not withstanding Phantasy Star 4. If you are a retro gamer, emu gamer, you have to play this great game. This game is one of the first GTA like sandbox games.