Share your hidden gems and insider tips

Brigane

I recently stumbled across Gunbarich. This is a Arkanoid similar game. I dont know if I would call it a hidden gem but it seems like an interesting game.
I use advancemame with this since it's not a part of the mame2003 set.

thelostsoul

@brigane I also discovered this game, but unfortunately, it gets reported to have issues with mame and fbalpha. Another reason to install advancemame. The game is nothing ground breaking, but I like the modern style and presentation and combination of two different genres into one. It got a Nintendo Switch port. The original game is made by Psikyo, who also made the shmup Gunbird.

Brigane

@thelostsoul

It seems to run okay on advancemame and it's very entertaining . The only trouble I'm having is the highscore won't save :(

space cadet

Adventure! What a great exploration game on the Atari!

VictimRLSH

@space-cadet Yes, can also be very difficult to win.

space cadet

Amerzone ps1

mediamogul

@space-cadet said in Share your hidden gems and insider tips:

Adventure! What a great exploration game on the Atari!

Definitely a great game. A few days ago I was listening to a podcast with a group who claimed that 'Adventure' was really just a maze game, no different than 'Pac-Man'. The guys had previously proven to be extremely knowledgeable about the third console generation and beyond, but they were speaking about the 2600 like a group of kids wildly theorizing about where babies come from.

space cadet

They just don't know!

mediamogul

I mean we all know they come from sharing a toilet seat right?

VictimRLSH

@mediamogul I thought that is how we get Limp Biskit fans?!?

mediamogul

@victimrlsh

Ah, that's right. I always get those two confused. Babies are the ones with better taste.

VictimRLSH

It appears there is a native port to Rasbian of Ancient Domains of Mystery. A rougealike RPG of intense difficulty that is well worth the tortured screams you will be uttering as your 54th character dies horribly...

https://www.adom.de/home/downloads.html

meleu

@thelostsoul said in Share your hidden gems and insider tips:

POLYBIUS

Probably the most hidden gem ever, if it is true. Unfortunately, there is no rom dump.

check this out: www.sinnesloschen.com/1.php

@mediamogul said in Share your hidden gems and insider tips:

NES: 'Summer Carnival '92: Recca' (Hands down, the best schmup on the NES. A programming miracle)

Hey, this game deserves a set of achievements!!

By the way, "Cocoron" has achievements: https://retroachievements.org/Game/5300

Nice suggestions on this thread, I hope to find sometime to dig some gems here. ;)

mediamogul

@meleu said in Share your hidden gems and insider tips:

Hey, this game deserves a set of achievements!!

It does indeed. I've had a couple of good runs on that game and then several where I barely make it out of space dock. Good to see you back btw and always nice to hear about your work on cheevos. A friend of mine has a kid who's obsessed with them and he always like hearing me talk about about the advancements that you've posted here in the past. Keep up the great work.

VictimRLSH

@mediamogul That kid obsessed with achievements might want to check out Star Ocean 3: 'till the End of Time. It was originally a PS2 game, and runs perfectly on PCSX2, and there is also a PS4 remake with the cheevos in there as well. There are hundreds of achievements, some extremely difficult.

mediamogul

@victimrlsh

He's mostly into the NES at the moment, but I'll be sure to pass it along all the same. Thanks.

Clyde

@meleu said in Share your hidden gems and insider tips:

check this out: www.sinneslochen.com/1.php

There's an "s" missing from the address: www.sinnesloschen.com/1.php

Clyde

@clyde said in Share your hidden gems and insider tips:

There's an "s" missing from the address: www.sinnesloschen.com/1.php

Fun fact: "löschen" means "to delete" in German, whereas "lochen" means "to perforate". :)

mediamogul

For a little while now, I've become moderately obsessed with the obscure puzzle game 'Square Deal', released in North America for the GameBoy. A Vegas-themed falling block puzzle game where 52 cards fall and are eliminated in poker hands is such a unique idea and makes for a real mind-bending challenge. I've been trying to find the definitive version of the game to play on RetroPie, but it's been tough, as the arcade original, 'Gun Dealer' and the Famicom port, 'Cadillac' both lack the ability to cycle through the available preview cards. This one feature removes much of the luck factor, making it almost entirely a game of skill.

It turns out that the North American 'Square Deal' was originally released as 'Cadillac II' on the GameBoy in Japan. In all of my research, it's never mentioned that the sequel ever got a Famicom port. However, I kept reading confused accounts that the original 'Cadillac' was re-released under the name 'Great Deal'. Today I gave 'Great Deal' a try and it is actually not a re-release of the first game, but rather a full color port of 'Cadillac II/Square Deal', entirely in English no less. With card cycling, a much improved soundtrack and better graphics, I'm very pleased to say that I found what's arguably the definitive version of this hidden gem.

As an addendum, I'll also make mention of a later arcade variant in the series that I discovered along the way, named 'Gun Dealer '94'. Here, the card suits are removed, in favor of a multi-colored system that can also be matched and chained in combos. While this is a lot of fun and adds yet another level to the game, removing the association to suited playing cards loses a bit of the charm for me personally. Still, it's a great game in its own right.

thelostsoul

Recently I found some more secret jewels (I just want avoid typing hidden gem again, oh doh it happened again) for the NES. There are titles I never heard of before and don't want hold them back. Have fun.

NES (12 Games):

lr-nestopia

Anticipiation
A board game by Rare with the Donkey Kong Country music composer! This is quite unique game, where you watch a drawing and have to guess what it is and type the English words.
Astro Robo Sasa
A single screen shooter like game, where you have to collect energy tanks (or shoot them). The interesting thing about this a little basic looking game is the controls. There is gravity, plus you fly in the opposite direction you shoot.
Captain Skyhawk
A vertical shmup by Rare. The specialty is the 3D like isometric view, much like Zaxxon, but vertically played. I didn't play it yet, but saw in YouTube 3D stages like in Afterburner too.
Kabuki Quantum Fighter
A platformer, plays great, fluid and good control, looks nice, sounds well with catchy themes. The main attack is his hair. A cool game I always wanted try out since my youth,.
King Kong 2: Ikari no Megaton Punch
Here we go, a King Kong action adventure game by Konami. The player controls King Kong himself from a top down perspective. He can punch and jump around and have to find the boss in each stage.
Shufflepuck Cafe
I know the game for Amiga and just learned about the NES port. This is a One on One hockey game, where you control a paddle. Unfortunately this is best played with mouse, but still its fun with gamepad too.
Solar Jetman
This is the third part of the first game done by Rare, which was Jetpac for ZX Spectrum under the publisher name "Ultimate Play the Game". So this game on the NES have some historical importance to me and it seems to be a great game. It is a multi directional shooter game, with gravity effects.
Zen Intergalactic Ninja
Action platformer by Konami based on a comic license. It starts out in isometric view and changes to side scrolling stages. The graphics has detailed sprites backgrounds and the level design isn't boring, as every level seems to have new ideas.

And now some games where translation patches was used.

Choujin Sentai Jetman
Based on a tv series, which is the ancestor to Power Rangers and have similar ideas in it. It is a simple side scrolling action platformer, nothing spectacular unless you reach the boss. Then you transform into a mecha and fight a fighting game (with bad controls) with huge sprites.
Cocoron
More basic platformer! It plays basic, looks basic and have nothing special about it, or does it? Yes. You start the game by creating your character by choosing not only the appearance, but also his skills.
Metal Slader Glory
A recently translated Japanese story based anime visual novel adventure game. The graphics are pixel art by a manga designer and it looks outstanding, even requiring a special chip.

I learned about the much better audio experience on the Japanese version of Castlevania 3 and used it with a romhack to make it more different.

Akumajō Dracula 3 / Castlevania 3
Improved Controls mod
The Japanese version of Castlevania 3 uses a special chip, which can be played back on a Japanese Famicom only for much better and richer sound. There are also some other small regional differences, like censorship and other minor differences. I used a romhack for this version of the game for improved controls, where jumping is just as high as you hold jump button and control while in the air and more. This mod is also compatible with a translation for it.