Be Excellent To Each Other

Ever been any games hardware, software, peripherals or paraphernalia that you've always wanted to own, but never have, whether for financial or organisational reasons?

I know I have. But what is item 1 on my list? Why, the Super Famicom, of course!



Now, an admission. I owned a Super NES (well, still do, but my brother has it up in Manchester). Unfortunately, a weedy PAL Super NES, with its bordered screen display and games releases a year late, bought in 1993 when the format had been around for a bit. Since 1991, what I've always wanted was a Super Famicom. The Japanese version. With it's unusual name, and games with titles written in katakana, featuring then-unknown characters such as squat sprite bizarrely called "Mario". The bijou grey box with a colourful control device attached. Yes, that controller, who'd seen anything like it? Even more buttons than the then-familiar Mega Drive joypad, with strange 'shoulder' buttons on the top, now that'll never take off. The screenshots too, as I first saw in issue 10 of weekly games rag Games-X, were astonishing. Games looked even more big, ballsy and arcade-y than Mega Drive games, almost lurid in their use of primary colours. Slightly later on, witnessing the games in action in a local import games shop. On a trusty Phillips 8833 monitor. The rich colours just as good as on paper, and that mesmerising spinning, zooming chunky graphics effect, whatever it is, just, wow. The controller is dead nice too, much more comfortable than those nasty 'fighter pilot' style joysticks that are ubiqutious for home computers. Shame the console is unaffordable based on your pocket money, apparently won't work on most TVs in this country, requires some specialist electricity box, and your parents won't buy you something that a.) isn't a 'proper' computer, and b.) is Japanese. So, not only exotic, but unobtainable and exotic. One day, one day...

So, err, yeah, in shortened form, I'd like a Super Famicom for nostalgia reasons. Over to you now.

A Konix Multisystem. Not Mintor.



Technically should be allowable as at least the prototypes existed. Although if any still exist I'd be surprised.

Or a PC Engine. There's nothing really stopping me getting one but all the different versions make them seem remarkably fiddly.

Hmm, I'd probably go super hardcore and say an FM Towns Marty.
Failing that, any pinball machine or perhaps a Dodonpachi cab.

Sit down Star Wars arcade machine.

Ditto

I've always wanted a pinball machine, too.

As above with the Star Wars cabinet and pinball machine - although I'd just want Addams Family.

I always wanted a Panasonic Q Gamecube but they've always been too pricey for my liking. Same goes for the fancy Superguns that Videogameimports.com sell. Maybe one day when I have enough money and space.

I remember thinking around about 1999 that I would love an 'Amiga on a card'. A PCI card with the AGA chipset and the like for proper hardware emulation of the Amiga, possibly with an Amiga disc drive as a peripheral.

Since then, emulation has moved on in leaps and bounds, but man, I would've sold my left nut for one of those in the late 90s.

Always fancied a pinball machine (Pinbot as it was the first table I played), table top Galaxians (like at the swimming baths ) and a hydraulic Space Harrier cab plz.

Never owned a SNES, never had the cash at the time but loved playing on my friends. I wouldn't mind a Saturn either, but all the games I'm interested in are stupidly expensive.

Oh yeah, they looked nice.

A HD tv.

I’m actually really lucky in that I’ve got a lot of rare stuff that other gamers would want. I’ve got a Virtual Boy, a chipped Saturn with some rare games, an Xbox that’ll play anything and tons of emulated games that I dreamt of as a child.

But the one thing (or things) that I would love, but were never made... is a Rise of the Robots figure set.

Just imagine how cool 6 inch robots would look on my shelf? I know that they were rumoured before the game was released but since it wasn’t as successful as they thought it would be, they were never made.

A pool table. I had one a couple of years ago but it didn't really fit in my flat so I had to get rid of it When I move house I'll pick up a good slate-bed table.

A MAME cabinet. I have the shell of an IT-box in my storage unit (including touch screen arcade monitor) just waiting for me to do something with it, but again, I've got to move house first because it's so fucking heavy I'll never get it up the stairs to my first floor flat.

An OutRun 2 cabinet, with the car.

A pinball machine, not worried about which.

A cocktail table arcade cabinet.

Yeah, a MAME cabinet too.

I know I could make one with little problems, it's just outlaying the money for a monitor and raw materials that puts me off.

I'd love a MAME cab. I know I'd hardly ever use it, but I'd still love one. I'm probably an idiot.

Yeah, may as well put one on my list too.

Pool table is an excellent shout.

apart from the idiot bit. Imagine how cool you'd be with a MAME cabinet in the corner of your living room?

I'll make one soon... I've been putting it off for years, but some day soon.. I'll start it.

One of those 'Space Invader' coin-op machines that also doubled as a coffee-table. They used to have a couple in the drinking den nightclub underneath the Oxford Union, but I've not been there in years.

It breaks my heart to see old arcade cabinets that aren’t being used and could be given a loving home.

Just the other week I saw a Primal Rage cabinet that was in pretty good condition... except it was turned off and probably hadn’t been turned on for months.

If I had some way to transport it, I would have made them an offer there and then.

Um...

I'll just give you a few seconds to think about that...

I want all the stuff that gaming's going to do next, not what it did X years ago.

Buy a PC*










*Sorry, just wanted to say it first. For future reference, my PC can just about run Excel.

Heh.

You obnoxious cunt.

Old games consoles have more soul.

Fuck Pool, if I had the room I'd have a proper snooker room with oak panels and whiskey decanters and shit.

That's gaming

Fuck the snooker. And the oak panels.

Bar Billiards. A far superior game. Mainly because I once thrashed a friend at it.

You just want whiskey decanters? And shit?

I didn't think you were meant to decant whiskey? But then that just leaves you with the shit, so maybe you should.

You don't have to decant whisky, it doesn't have sediment in. It's just posher.

neo geo..

I would prefer a Supergun, one of those console-like device that plays Jamma boards through a television. Relatively easy to self-build, or a pre-built motherboard can be bought off eBay from £15. Still, like the MAME cabinet, it wouldn't realistically get that much use either, then there's the problem of sourcing Jamma boards, often expensive collectors' items.

I remember what else I've always wanted. A PC Engine! Seeing this exotic Japanese console in ACE, circa 1989, that seemed to be host to arcade conversions that are far better quality than those on the 16-bit computers, and all made by the original software companies. And just look at it! Tiny, with games on what looks like credit cards with edge connectors. There's a CD-ROM drive too?! What sort of futuristic techno-world do these Japanese people live it?

Arcade cabs wise, a full size Winning Run, a full size R360 and a sit down Star Wars. (The latter made the visit to Game On acceptable, instead of being a big disappointment.)

I picked up the shell for mine for £69.95 off eBay - monitor included. Bargain in anyone's money.

It did cost me an extra £10 in the end though, had to shell out for two replacement wheels for my brother's sack truck, after the sheer weight of the thing made them collapse in on themselves while we were moving it.

I would/would've liked:

A Pinball Machine
A Simpsons Arcade Cabinet
Vib Ribbon

I would/would've liked:

A Pinball Machine
A Simpsons Arcade Cabinet
Vib Ribbon

I want a Naomi cabinet. I'll get one someday. Console-wise, I really wanted a Jap Dreamcast back before they were available over here, and kinda still want one now for novelty value, but other than that I can't really think of anything. I also want a nice pinball machine.

I have a Jap Dreamcast. The mk 1, with the heatpipe cooling.

*fumes*

I like the way the games are in ordinary jewel CD cases. And the artwork is all different. And a red swirl logo! I used to love looking at the import section in my local "Chips". I think the games were about £100 each at launch! Power Stone looked like the greatest game ever made.

Oh, I'd love a full-size Yank pool table as well. With purple cloth. One of those Riley ones with massive bucket pockets. And a novelty light hanging over it. One that looks like a bottle of pissy American beer. Like Coors.

I have a promo copy of Vib Ribbon.

It was alright I guess.

On holiday, I saw an advert in which men who didn't drink a certain brand of beer were considered unmanly by their peers. The beer that would make you manly? Miller Lite.

Ha!

I can't remember off-hand which Jap language games I have for it (I was mostly downloading pirated stuff, of course). Sonic Adventure, and TXR1, certainly. Sega Rally too I think.

How I read it.

Heh. It was always a game I wanted to play back in the PS1 days but I never got it, the feature of being able to make new levels with any CD sounded excellent at the time. I guess Audiosurf does that now but I can never figure what's going on in that game.

Also going off my google search just now, the cheapest price for a Vib Ribbon is £26, that's for a normal retail version, don't know if you could get more for the promo version.