During this resurgence of retro game popularity, many game collections are being produced for modern consoles. Recent examples are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cowabunga Collection, Mega Man Legacy Collection, Street Fighter Anniversary Collection, SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, Sega Genesis Classics Collection, Contra Anniversary Collection, Castlevania Anniversary Collection, The Aleste Collection, just to name a few. Even though I have the majority of the original retro games ton these collections, I still love the fact that these are being released. Not only are they being released, some of these are receiving archival bonus material, interviews, artwork, and more. These extras can justify the re-purchase of these collections, and make for a well rounded package. 

Specifically, the Mega Man Legacy Collection and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cowabunga Collections, both produced by Digital Eclipse, are shining examples of how to curate a retro game collection. For those who don't know, Digital Eclipse is headed by Frank Cifaldi, who is also the founder of the Videogame History Foundation. He takes game preservation pretty seriously. The production documents, art assets, interviews, variants, and promotional materials are just some of the extras included. The emulation is very good, with every glitch and peculiarity included, like the line flashing on the Mega Man 3 stage select screen.

I know that some people bemoan the release of yet another game collection, but I for one wholly support these collections if it means developers can continue to unearth these long forgotten games and wrap them together in a context that does them justice, and makes them conveniently available (and affordable). With retro gaming as popular as it is right now, there can be new life for these older franchises as they are introduced to younger generations, and treated with modern amenities like save states, rewind, screen shots, difficulty settings, etc. Also, the value proposition of buying all of the games together for a price lower than what their collective cost would be on the secondary market can't be ignored. 

Here are some collections that I would very much want to see released, and would be day one purchases.

Thunder Force

Shoot'em ups are getting kind of expensive these days, and the Thunder Force series is king on the Genesis/Mega Drive. There were even releases after the 16 bit era, with TFV released on Saturn and Playstation, and even TF VI on the Playstation 2, which was only released in Japan. If these were collected on all on the same disc, imagine the value. I know some of these were ported by M2 (renowned retro game reprogrammers) to the Switch online store, so half the work is already done! Sega owns the IP, so there is no messy red tape or royalties to contend with. It's a no-brainer. 

P.S. There was a collection of sorts back in the 5th generation, titled Thunder Force Gold Pack 1 and 2. Each of these contained only 2 games. This was a paltry offering for the time, and we can do so much better now.

Shinobi

What started in the arcades with the landmark original continued on the Genesis with three more spectacular games. Two dimensional Ninja action platforming hit it's peak with this series, and it should be collected. The innovation of Ninja Magic added a spark that stood out from other games of the era. The platforming is tight, and art design iconic. The arcade game is a fixture in my mind of Sega arcade action, and it had a plethora or ports (not all good). The Master System port was respectable, given its limitations. The real meat of the series is in the three Genesis releases. These games were shining examples of excellence in the Genesis library, and some of the first titles referenced when conducting a console wars debate. There was an original Game Gear game made that I hear good things about. Additional games include Shinobi: Legions on Saturn, and a bunch of third person action games on the PS2/PS3/XBox consoles. Those later games take an entirely different style, so those should be a different collection.  

Star Soldier

There actually was a Star Soldier collection for the Sony PSP back in 2008. This was a fantastic idea! It included the four PC Engine games: Super Star Soldier, Final Soldier, Soldier Blade, and Star Parodier. There could be some 8-bit games added in here as well, like the Famicom version of Star Soldier and Starship Hector (I think it is related somehow). Maybe the caravan versions could be included as well. Heck, even include the N64 game. These games play fast and input lag could be an issue, so it would require a top tier developer to port it, namely M2. 

Gradius

For a shooter series as revered and popular as Gradius, you would think that this would have happened already. Although the gradius arcade game was included in a Konami Arcade Classics collection, along with other early Konami games, that did not do the franchise justice. There were so many Gradius games that are itching to be collected and released. Gradius II never received a North American release, nor did Salamander (Life Force is not the same game). Gradius Gaiden, a title that many consider the best Gradius game ever, was never released here. There were Gameboy and GBA games as well. The spin off series Parodius, which has at least 3 entries, can be included. Again, these are all Konami titles through and through so there should be no extra licensing or royalties. It can and should happen! 

194X

Capcom's 1942 was an early 1980's arcade hit, and launched a deceptively deep franchise. The most visible titles were 1942 and 1943 as those were on the NES and produced in large print runs. There were several other games that most people don't know about, which is a shame because each one is solid. 1943 Kai, 1941 Counterattack, and 1944 are all forgotten games and could be enshrined along with their brethren in a compilation. Each game has is different in some way, game design had evolved with each new entry, so playing through the series offers up some variety. 

R-Type

The R-Type franchise has a disjointed history, with releases few and far between. The original title was released in arcades, and ported to the 8-bit home consoles. R-Type II, also an arcade game, was rehashed and retitled as Super R-Type as a Super Nintendo exclusive. Following that was the excellent R-Type III: The Third Lightning, also a SNES exclusive. Years passed and R-Type Delta was released for the Playstation. The "Delta" in the name referred to it being the fourth game in the series (delta is the fourth letter in the Greek alphabet). Another generation passed and R-Type Final was released on the Playstation 2. With such a wide-spanning yet sparse catalog it is unclear what makes sense to include in a compilation, but I would say the 2D games (arcade and home renditions), and the 3D games could be a separate collection.

Golden Axe

While the Genesis trilogy has been released several times over on the seemingly annual Genesis collections, the game that has unavailable up until its recent inclusion on the Astro City Mini Arcade is Golden Axe The Revenge of Death Adder (RDA). Considered the real sequel to the arcade original, RDA fell through the cracks as Sega decided to make Golden Axe II on the Genesis a completely different game. This was most likely due RDA being on Sega's System 18 arcade board, which was more advanced that the System 16 board, on which the Genesis was based. Additionally, a fighting game spin off titled Golden Axe: The Duel was a Japanese exclusive for the Saturn. The last game is mediocre, but what is really needed is the inclusion of RDA with the rest of the Golden Axe series. 

Streets of Rage

Another Genesis Trilogy that was released several times over on Genesis compilations, I think that a dedicated SOR release with extras would be amazing. Yuzo Koshiro authored the soundtracks for all three games, and a soundtrack would be the ultimate selling point. It would be nice to have the Japanese version of SOR3, Bare Knuckle III, translated as it is the superior version of the game. The recent sequel, Streets of Rage IV is too advanced to hope to include on this one. 

Metroid

Why Nintendo has not compiled the rich Metroid franchise into a collection is baffling, but Nintendo has always marched to its own beat. Imagine all the 2D games together in one package: Metroid, Metroid II, Super Metroid, Metroid Fusion, and Metroid Zero Mission. The Metroid Prime games were collected and released on the Wii, so why can't we get the legacy games? I suspect that since the NES and SNES games are available on Nintendo's online service, there is less motivation for Nintendo to spend time and money on a product that they have already technically rereleased. 

With so many retro franchises to resurrect, there is hope that some of these will see the Digital Eclipse or M2 treatment. Which franchises do you want to see released?

To see three games form the same franchise released on a single console is now rare. It happened more frequently in the days of cartridge consoles, and was a sign of success for both the system and the franchise. Sequels to popular games are common, as are franchises that span more than one generation, but three games subsequently released on the same console was a cool thing. I'd like to recount the trilogies that were released for the Sega Genesis. Some franchises went beyond three games, and there are spin offs as well, but I'll try to keep to the main line of each franchise. There may even be more. 

Double Dragon

Double Dragon II: The Revenge

Double Dragon III: The Rosetta Stone

Double Dragon IV: The Shadow Falls

This is a tale of disappointment on several levels. The arcade original was a landmark brawler, and it was heavily anticipated when announced for the NES. The game was understandably stripped down for the 8 bit processor, and restructured to work within the limited confines. It was a good game, but two player co-op was removed. When I heard that this was released for the Genesis, I thought it must surely be just like the arcade. Well, it is but it isn't. The two player co-op is there, the graphics are there, but the gameplay is kinda broken. The enemy speed is laughably fast and erratic. This is such a shame, a wasted opportunity. Double Dragon II the Revenge was also an excellent arcade game, and was also released to the NES to critical acclaim. Unfortunately, it was only released in Japan and not released here in America for some unknown reason. When the series did return to the Genesis for the exclusive Double Dragon III and Double Dragon V (what happened to IV?), the gameplay appears to be programmed by people who have no concept of what made the first two games great. This sort of thing is common, when a series remains with a certain publisher but the talent responsible for the series' name has moved on. A tragic tale of botched opportunities.

Golden Axe 

With internet-capable consoles appearing in the seventh generation, purchasing games digitally online was realized, allowing for the convenience of buying and playing a game without leaving the house. Games were still produced in physical form, but availability in a store varied. The Wii storefront was the first offer licensed games in digital form. This was novel, and possibly contributed to the resurgent interest in retro gaming. All of the sudden, people had access to games that were long forgotten, at reasonable prices. While hardcore retro gamers were alway keen on the classics, casual players on modern consoles were drawn towards the nostalgia drug, increasing interest.

With advances in console technology, the level of production, complexity, and size of game files increased exponentially. This led to many physical games being released incomplete, with updates required before playing for the first time. This practice is now commonplace, and often expected. Some games have update files much larger than the initial game that was shipped, like Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4. Take Cyperpunk as an example. The game is allegedly unplayable without the updates.

How long will modern games continue to be supported?

This begs the question, can a new game even be played today without the initial update? If you have to update up to 50% of a game in order to play, is it worth buying the physical copy of the game? It almost seems as if the games are mere license holders in order to download the game. In some cases, they literally are, as on the game box there may be a statment mentioning that no physical game is included, only a download code. The argument that was held for a long time was, if a server gets shut down, you can still play the game if you own a copy. Is this even true anymore? Let's say your PS4 or Switch dies. You have a copy of a game, but it required a large update. You buy a replacement console, and try to play that game, but the server is no longer active. Can you really play the game as intended? Maybe the game will start up, but might it be missing the second half of the game? Old game cartridges will always play all the way through, no internet connection required. The same cannot be said for modern games. 

Additionally, an interesting phenomenon is currently underway with gamers applying a collectors' mindset. People are buying new games and keeping them sealed, hoping the value will increase over time. This occurs with sealed retro games, why would it not here? The difference is that back in the 1980's and 90's, if a game was left sealed it was due to circumstance, not intent. A game may not have sold well, and thus had become overstock, for example. Kids back then did not buy two copies of a game; one to play and one to keep sealed. Games were relatively expensive then compared to today's prices, and the games were always opened and played.  There was no investor speculating. 

We have been seeing industry move at a glacial pace towards eliminating physical media. Then Microsoft initially released the XBox One not allowing for game sharing. The public backlash forced Microsoft to renege. Sony used that as a dig towards their direct competitor, by releasing a commercial that exemplified how game sharing could happen on PS4. Meanwhile, the online stores for all consoles continue to grow. In what could be considered the 9th generation of consoles, the PS5 and XBox series X both released digital-only and disc-capable consoles. This could signify the inevitable end of the collectable game. 

Some game collections include a download code as not all games are on the physical game

For those digital-only consoles, to what extent will the continue to be supported after the end of their natural life expectancy? It is not a guaranteed that all the games will be transferable to the next generation console. Even if you accept this, and try to keep the console alive, the failure rate of modern systems is higher than the legacy cartridge-based consoles of yesteryear. Will simply backing the games up on a hard drive be a sufficient safeguard to ensure that you will be able to play these games indefinitely?

I know the general sentiment of wanting physical copies of games is still strong. Companies like Limited Run Games, Strictly Limited Games, Ultra Rare Games, and others capitalize on this for their business model. I will commend those companies for ensuring that the game is complete with no more updates before pressing physical copies. Those copies will indeed be future-proofed, and that is important. But for the large, triple-A releases with lots of expectations and fanfare, who knows how that will be handled. 

This is an interesting topic to bring up as we are now at a watershed moment in video gaming. How companies handle patches and updates for games beyond the scope of their life will be interesting to watch. For me personally, I have the deepest attachment to the older games, which were shipped complete and have no reliance on downloads. While I do primarily buy physical copies of games for the current consoles, I am questioning that practice. How about you? Do you stick with collecting physical copies of games? Do you buy digital copies only? What are your thoughts on this shifting landscape of game media?

Arcade sticks are plentiful for modern consoles, regardless of platform. Whether you own a Switch, Xbox, or Playstation, the popularity of established fighting games ensures that there will be new versions of arcade sticks. If you have ever searched on eBay or Amazon for one, you know what I mean. This is not the case for retro consoles though. While there might be one or two arcade sticks available for each of the consoles from the 80's and 90's, the selection is entirely lacking. The NES had the Advantage, the Super Nintendo had the Super Advantage, the Genesis had the Arcade Power Stick (in 3 and 6 button versions), and the Turbo Grafx had the Turbostick, and so on. For those sticks mentioned, the quality of them were OK for the time, as it was all we knew. However, they don't hold up too well today, especially compared to modern sticks. 

The Hori Real Arcade Pro has been given a new lease on life

Arcade sticks have come a long way as far as quality. Microswitches have replaced spongy, rubber membranes, for the better. I have a Hori Real Arcade Pro stick that I bought during the Playstation 3 era. I would classify it as mid-tier, as it's not the cheapest one around and not the most expensive either. It has a large base which rests uniformly and comfortably on my lap. The cord is ten feet long, within reach for a couch or easy chair. At 45 years old, sitting on the floor is not as fun as it once was. I have replaced the joystick and buttons with arcade-quality Sanwa parts, and it fits my needs as a non-competitive player perfectly. 

It is surreal using a modern stick on an old CRT TV

While most retro games are perfectly playable with the default pack-in controller, there are times when the experience can be taken to another level by using an arcade stick. Shooters (2D) and fighting games come to mind. These games are born of the arcade, and the arcade sticks were an integral part of the experience. Playing a port of an arcade game at home with a control pad is fine, but you can't help but feel something is missing, especially if you first experienced the game in the arcade.

The company Brook makes controller adapters that allow for modern controllers / arcade sticks to be used with retro consoles. They have an extensive product catalog, spanning nearly every configuration of console. They are branded as the Wingman series, and I have three of them: Wingman SNES, Wingman SD, and the PS3/PS4 to Mega Drive/PC Engine Super Converter. That last one is not named Wingman for some reason, but it serves the same function as the others (?). Anyway, those adapters allow for my USB arcade stick to be used on a multitude of older consoles. 

 

The Wingman SNES has has two controller plugs, allowing for NES and SNES compatibility. This is amazing value. I can effectively replace my Advantage and Super Advantage sticks for one superior stick. While most of the games on the NES were platformers, which are more suited to the original pads, being able to use my Hori stick instead of the Advantage for shooters is a huge improvement. The SNES had a decent amount of shooters, more than people think. It also had a glut of fighting games, and even though the SNES controller has six buttons, I have always thought that using shoulder buttons was awkward for the 5th and 6th buttons. The adapter allows for button remapping if so desired. 

The PS3/PS4 to Mega Drive/PC Engine Super Converter does what it's lengthy name says it does, except that I have a Genesis instead of a Mega Drive, which does not change functionality. The Genesis and PC Engine are both homes to the vast majority of shooters released during the fourth console generation. The official Sega arcade stick is OK, but definitely not up to modern standards. It's rubbery membranes do a decent job considering its era, but the responsiveness pales in comparison to the microswitches that we have become accustomed to. I have an Ascii PC Engine arcade stick in the same style as the NES Advantage, but its just OK as well. It has a small base, and is awkward to position on your lap. I need a larger base, so I used a text book to keep it from sliding around, which was not much more comfortable.  Since the Genesis and PC-Engine are my favorite consoles, this converter definitely gets the most use!

The Wingman SD allows for modern controllers on the Sega Saturn, and Sega Dreamcast. While I do have the official white Saturn Virtua Stick, but it's not holding up too well. The parts are not quite arcade quality, and while it was awesome in its time, it is not as smooth of an experience anymore. I do have the official Dreamcast Ascii arcade stick, which I modded with Sanwa parts years ago, so it is in great working order. But if I'm going to buy this for the Saturn, I may as well use it for the Dreamcast as well. The Dreamcast has an extensive library of shooters and fighting games as well. The Wingman SD has 200 blocks of VMU memory built in, so swapping VMU units is no longer necessary. 

I know that most people who are interested in these Brook convertors are primarily using the modern PS4, PS5, Xbox, and Switch controllers for their bluetooth functionality. More options are great and I'm glad that the functionality is there, but I specifically bought these for use with my arcade stick. To me, the original controllers are not improved upon by using modern bluetooth controllers, the original pads were mostly fine. The arcade stick is a different animal, and provides a vastly different experience, filling a need that was until now unmet. I highly recommend any of these Brook convertors for your retro consoles.

There are a lot of retro gaming podcasts out there. I have dabbled in and out of many over the years, and I find myself liking the following podcasts, for different reasons. Some are primarily informational, like review podcasts and collecting podcasts. Some are lighter on the details but more about community and entertainment. Depending on my mood, the amount of time I have, and who else may be listening, there are a lot of options to choose from. These are in no particular order.

Worth It or Worthless

This is a fairly standard retro game review podcast with a slight twist. After thorough discussion a game's merits and demerits, they pit is against its current market value and make the call as to whether they would pay the asking price (worth it) or not (worthless). It's a slant that may date itself as time goes on, due to to astronomical increases in retro game prices, but nonetheless a very thorough and informative review show. 

Retro Warriors

When I first saw the original Retro Warriors logo, which consisted of the NES Ikari Warriors cover art, I knew I had to give it a listen. It has been six years, and I am listening still. Justin and Chris cover the wide gamut of retro gaming news, analysis, discussion, and all related talk to those following the retro gaming scene. They have an easy going, discussion format that is easy to listen to and often highly informative. Chris Saturn is the veteran gamer of the pair, and he base of knowledge is deep and accurate. The show format opens with news in the retro gaming scene, followed by the weekly topic at hand. Shows average a little over an hour, and is released weekly. Time flies, and the language is mostly decent with occasional swearing. 

Retro Game Squad

Alex, John, and Jeff create a themed list of several games to play and digest, and reconvene to review them together in these long form episodes. Alex is the primary host, John is the resident "genius", and Jeff is up for anything. They are united by a passion of retro games, and it shows.  There is a balanced chemistry here, in which each person brings a different background and perspective. Alex is the seasoned veteran gamer, John is down with new and old tech as it pertains to gaming, and Jeff is a wildcard of sorts, with less experience but having the most enthusiasm. Since each episode is themed, and often includes a long list of games to explore over the course of a month or two, they tend to run between 2-3 hours each. The time will fly by as each personality offers different perspectives on each of the games, leaving no stone unturned. The overall tone is polite and cordial, and unoffensive (but not in a lame way). 

RetroRGB

Bob Neal's website, www.retrorgb.com, was a strong influence on me to get my gear operating to its full potential. It was here where I learned about RGB video signals, scart connections, console mods, and all of the bits of knowledge on hardware that can be known. A pioneer in the retro gaming scene, Bob's credibility is as good as it gets, and the information is vetted and highly accurate. In recent years a YouTube channel is born from the website, as well as a simul-cast podcast. A plethora of information is provided weekly, on the happenings in retro gaming. Content such as interviews, reviews, news updates, editorials, how-to's, and much more. If you can, watch the videos on YouTube as many topics benefit from the visual aides, but Bob's narration makes the information listenable as well. Language is news-styled and appropriate.

Emulate This

Ryan, Rory, Eric, and Mike are four dudes who somehow manage to make a retro gaming themed podcast. It's a little hard to describe, actually. I think it goes like this. Early on, Rory built Raspberry Pi gaming consoles for the four of them, and they would pick a couple of games, play them, and discuss. As the years progressed, the show has evolved to include some of the strangest non-scripted content ever heard on a podcast. Much alcohol is involved with every episode and you can tell. Stories start leaking out that one cause one to look sideways at them. Themed games are often included, like guess what game this music is from while listening to bathroom noises at full blast, what happened here, and others that are NSFW. Actually, it's all NSFW. They all have very unique personalities, in that you can probably related to one of the four, and you definitely know someone like the other three. My only gripe is that they do mix in a lot of discussion of modern games, which I'm not there for, but to be fair, "retro" is not in their title. Episodes range from 1-2 hours, and are currently released monthly. 

The Collectors Quest Podcast

If you think you are a hardcore collector, you don't know anything. These guys have multiple complete collections of the popular consoles, and they have the experience and knowledge to fill books. There are details about games, and then there are DETAILS. These guys know it all. Things like extra contents of complete games besides the manuals, variants of covers and boxes, etc. The passion is clearly evident, and debates about minutia are daily fodder. When I initially started listening to them, I thought they were collecting elitists. As time has passed, I realize that they are so immersed in what they do, that things that may be obvious to them are esoteric to most, there is no intent of being condescending. You may end up feeling that your game collection is small potatoes after listening to these guys, but that passes. Whats more, their rants and diatribes are commonplace and amazing to take in. Language is unfiltered and not safe for little ears. Episodes are on the long side, averaging about 2+ hours, and are released biweekly. 

So, those are some of the podcasts that I find myself listening to lately. There are others, but these are the ones that I felt compelled to include. 

When I first got back into retrogaming, my first goal was to reacquire the games I had as a kid. That didn't take long, as I just didn't own that many games. My strongest gaming memories were with the NES and the Genesis. I started buying these up by the bucketful, as they were abundant in the early 2000's. My collection grew rapidly, but soon I was buying games because I didn't have them, not because I wanted them. Collecting started to loose meaning, and it was burning me out. One can get lost in this hobby, just trying to collect for every console is in my opinion a lost cause. Rather than have a collection that is spread out, a smaller set you passionate about is much more appealing. Time has matured my preferences for games and consoles, and I realized the kinds of games that I actually enjoy. I made a decision to thin out the herd, and only collect subsets. Having collection goals was a way to refocus, and bring back the fun in collecting. 

The first generation of black grid (1989) is my favorite style

I made a goal to complete the original Sega Genesis "black grid" box style games. For those who don't know, the games that were published by Sega had a very sleek and characteristic style: Black background with a gray grid pattern, and unique marquee art for the title. The front cover would have artwork framed in a consistent manner. This was the signature look for Genesis games. This style did not extend to third-party publishers, those games designed their covers any which way, but there are some companies that did make some attempt to resemble Sega's in-house brand, like Razor Soft did with Technocop, Jerry Glanville's Pigskin Footbrawl, and others. 

Note the enlarged logo (1990), now with "16-Bit Cartridge" subtitle

This box style is very striking, and personally nostalgic to me, as it was the primary style used when I first bought my Genesis. I vividly remember walking through the aisles of Toys 'R Us and seeing that sheen black grid on the Sega game purchase cards. It kinda makes sense, as the predecessor to the Genesis, the Master System, had a white grid style on their game boxes, although with overly rudimentary art. This was an evolution of their brand.

in 1991, the logo size was reduced

Depending on your need for order and organization, this can be taken further. I have reorganized my Genesis games shelf to reflect the changes to the box art style over the years of the Genesis releases. It may not be obvious to some, but to Genesis collectors it is an oddity that subtle changes were made to the Genesis logo size, placement, and UPC placement on the boxes. This change seems to have occurred at the start of each new fiscal year, but that's just a guess. In 1993, the black grid was eschewed for a glaring red box color. I'll never understood why Sega made this change, to me it ruins the iconic look. In addition to the color change, both first and third-party publishers were now uniformly boxed in one color and style, which is nice for organization, but a bit too late in my opinion.  

In 1992, UPC codes were placed on the spine of the box

Because I organized my Genesis games by spine theme (inspiration from Chris at Classic Gaming Quarterly), there is no unifying alphabetical order to my collection, except within the variations of subsets. This might be crazy to some, and people ask me how I find a game that I'm looking for, amidst the chaos. I just know where it is. I know the relative year, and recall what the box looked like, so it takes me no time at all to find it. 

1993 saw the emergence of the red box color

I am not interested in collecting the full Genesis set. The black grid subset is a perfect set for me that his the nostalgia nerve, as well as boasting unrivaled style. Here are the games' covers.