|
|
| Information |
|
|
Reviving Old Computer Games
Remember the good old days of gaming, when there were only 5 pixels in the protagonist and your imagination could turn them into a heroic figure of Schwarzenegger proportions? When the enemies and the heroes were distinguished by colour and you only needed one button on the joystick? Well times have changed and technology has moved on. Pulling my old Commodore 64 or Atari out of the back of the cupboard and setting them up often takes more time than the nostalgic pang lasts. I've also noticed that some of my old disks are starting to age and become corrupted. Enter the Internet. The wonderfully technologically gifted and giving Internet populace is out in force in their attempts to preserve the older side of gaming. Remakes and Emulators for almost any old machine can be found around the Internet. Emulators act as a layer between old software and new hardware allowing modern PCs to run programs that such hardware was never meant to see. Commodore 64, Amiga, NES, Master System, Arcade Machines and more have all been emulated and the necessary programs placed online for download, usually for free. Emulation is not a new idea. I had a hardware emulator for the VIC20 that plugged into the back of my Commodore 64 and allowed the use of the older VIC20 cartridges with the new hardware (I never actually owned a VIC20 or any programs for it but that's another issue). Emulator popularity has been fading in and out for many years, only coming into many people's attention with the release of Bleem!, a Playstation emulator for PC that was released while the PSOne still held a dominant share of the video game market. Bleemcast (a Playstation emulator for the Sega Dreamcast) soon followed causing one of the more interesting video game legal battles as Sony fought to have the emulator shut down. However, the emulators have a strong following and very active user base. Emulators are easy to find and download. Simply search for the system you want and add the word emulator to the end (e.g. "SNES Emulator") and you'll probably come up with a lot of hits. Be slightly wary as some emulator sites will either be false links or may contain pornographic ads. Setting the emulators up to run is usually fairly straightforward and there's a fair chance that you'll be able to find some documentation and help. Some of the newer systems require a BIOS image to be installed with the emulator. This is to get around the legal issues raised by Sony in the Bleem! legal battles by requiring you to be in possession of a Playstation BIOS (and hence, presumably, a Playstation) in order to play the games on your computer. Making a BIOS image to load into your computer will most likely be beyond your technical expertise, but a quick check of your console's case will reveal the file you need to get and then it's as simple as searching the internet for a BIOS image that matches the BIOS you already own. Of interest are the PC emulators now available. Windows no longer has very good support for older DOS-based games so there are a few emulators out there now to emulate the DOS environment. DOSBox (http://dosbox.sourceforge.net/) is probably the best known of the crop. There are also game-specific emulators such as ScummVM (www.scummvm.org) or DOOM Legacy (http://legacy.newdoom.com/) that focus specifically on certain games and hence are able to improve the experience for those particular titles. Once you have yourself an emulator you'll need to get yourself some programs to run with it. These programs are called 'ROMs' and are images of the original storage device that the program came on (be it a cartridge, tape, floppy or other). The process of creating a ROM is probably far too technical for the vast majority of computer users so you're probably going to have to find a 'backup' from somewhere to download. This is where the venture gets slightly foggy. Basically the deal is that you can only have a program ROM if you own the original program. So if you have boxes of old Amiga disks, NES cartridges, or other old gaming programs stored away somewhere, you're in luck, otherwise you're treading on legally shifty ground. While it can easily be argued that the downloading of a 1987 computer game is of no real consequence to the company that has in all likelihood closed down, copyright doesn't actually expire for 50 years and computer games just haven't been around that long. Online 'emulation' is a new area now being explored. The idea is that you simply play the game in your browser through a Java applet or Flash application. These might not always strictly be emulated programs but many remakes are feature perfect with the originals. The graphics, sounds, and game play remain intact. One excellent place to look for online games is Every Video Game (http://www.everyvideogame.com). While the site does not in fact contain 'every video game' it does have a very large list of old games from the arcades, GameBoy, NES, and Master System all playable through your browser. Many remakes can also be found at Shockwave's site (http://www.shockwave.com/sw/actiongames/arcade_classics/). Some of the old games have even been remade and updated for this modern world we now live in. Try doing a search for remakes of a game title you particularly enjoyed and you may be surprised at what you find. There are games that have been updated to be 3D, such as some old favourites of mine: Pac man (http://www.caiman.us/scripts/fw/f1292.html) and Barbarian (http://www.dgdevteam.tk/), and while these might not always be brilliant games or remakes in their own right, the thought and effort put in often leads to an enjoyable diversion. There are also more traditional versions of games that have just updated the code as well as possibly the graphics so that they can still be run. So if you're feeling nostalgic or just can't get the hang of these new-fangled games that require you to push fifty buttons in a precise configuration just to jump, you may like to check out the emulation and remake scene. It's surprisingly entertaining to go back in time to when games were simple yet fun. Daniel PunchM6.Net Web Helpershttp://www.m6.net
Latest News:Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for news News Corp says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp. executive Mark Williams has taken over as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere in an interim capacity, News Corp. said after the move led to renewed takeover speculation. News Corp. says Mark Williams interim Premiere CEO (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Mark Williams, a News Corp. executive named late on Wednesday as chief executive of German pay-TV broadcaster Premiere, has taken over in an interim capacity, a News Corp. spokeswoman said on Thursday. Column: Palin's Nomination Good News Even For Democrats In Alaska (CBS News) So, John McCain picked Sarah Palin to be his running mate. Let me just say, wow. That's not exactly what I repeatedly shouted out when I first heard the news, but it's close enough for publication. Like everyone else, my astonished reaction wasn't due to the event itself being inconceivable - I've heard pundits debating the likelihood of a McCain / Palin ticket for months. Premiere CEO Is Replaced by News Corp.'s Williams (Update2) (Bloomberg.com) Sept. 10 (Bloomberg) -- Premiere AG , the German pay- television company partly owned by News Corp., said Chief Executive Officer Michael Boernicke is being replaced by a senior News Corp. executive. News Corp exec becomes chief of Germany's Premiere (Reuters via Yahoo! News) News Corp's chief financial officer for Europe and Asia has been named chief executive of German pay television group Premiere, following the resignation of Michael Boernicke, Premiere said on Wednesday. Phila. mayor to announce grim budget news (Philly.com) The Nutter administration is expected to announce grim budget news today, which is all but certain to lead to significant spending cuts - perhaps as high as 10 percent - in some city departments, according to three sources familiar with the budget. News Corporation to redevelop London Wapping site (Reuters via Yahoo! News) Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is to redevelop its Wapping site in London, moving all its UK businesses, including News International, Harper Collins, MySpace and Dow Jones, under one roof. Tribune blames Google for damaging news story (Market Watch) SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Tribune Co. said Wednesday that the mistaken online publishing of an old news story that cratered UAL Corp.'s stock price earlier this week was because of a repeated technology failure at Google Inc. DeJesus, Royals sad at Sweeney news (MLB.com) DeJesus, Royals sad at Sweeney news Six-year-old story pops up on Google News, triggering United Airlines share price collapse (Tech Digest via Yahoo! UK & Ireland News) Three cheers for automated technology! The Google News "Googlebot" search routine decided last weekend that a six-year-old story regarding United Airlines filing for bankruptcy was new and exciting. Site: news - Google News New Voices in Congress Will Change the Tone of the Democratic Majority - New York Times
MORE RESOURCES: Site: Yahoo! News Search Results for games Cubs-Astros games postponed because of Ike (AP via Yahoo! News) The first two games of this weekend's series between the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros have been postponed because of the potential impact of Hurricane Ike. Video games sales rise 9 pct in August: NPD (Reuters via Yahoo! News) U.S. video games sales rose 9 percent in August from a year earlier, marking the smallest monthly sales increase in more than two years, according to data from research firm NPD on Thursday. Models reveal 'geology of Games' (BBC News) Decades of data are turned into 3D graphics of what lies beneath the 2014 Commonwealth Games host city. Cubs-Astros games postponed due to hurricane (Fox Sports) The first two games of this weekend's series between the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros have been postponed because of the potential impact of Hurricane Ike. Baseball officials also were anticipating that Sunday's series finale also might be postponed. One of the scenarios under consideration was to play a doubleheader Monday, and make up the third game on Sept. 29 if it's needed to decide a ... Verizon Wireless Releases Dozens Of Games From 10 Publishers (paidContent.org via Yahoo! Finance) It's all about games today for Verizon Wireless . The carrier released dozens of mobile games from 10 publishers. Gameloft , Glu Mobile , Konami Digital Entertainment, Mobitween, Namco Networks, RealNetworks , SkyZone Entertainment, Smashing Ideas, Capcom Interactive and Sony Pictures Television all teamed up with the carrier to launch games such as The Dark Knight and Sally's Salon. Cubs-Astros Games Postponed Because of Ike (ABC News) Cubs-Astros games Friday and Saturday postponed because of Hurricane Ike Ike threat postpones first 2 games of Cubs-'Stros (CBS Sportsline) The first two games of this weekend's series between the Cubs and Astros have been postponed because of the potential impact of Hurricane Ike. Cubs-Astros games postponed because of Ike (Chicago Tribune) Houston owner Drayton McLane is holding out hope the two Cubs-Astros games postponed because of Hurricane Ike can be played Sunday and Monday at Minute Maid Park. But Lou Piniella? "Unless this thing totally bypasses the Houston area, I don't know how you can get into Houston, or if they had to get out, how they would get out." Central update: Brewers at Phillies on Thursday RosenBlog: Cubs' ... Ike postpones two Cubs-Astros games (MLB.com) Two Cubs-Astros games postponed Can the Games Usher in New Era for China's Disabled? (Time.com via Yahoo! News) As the host nation's athletes continue to gather golds at the 2008 Paralympics, many in Beijing hope the Games will open doors for China's other 83 million disabled citizens Site: games - Google News BCS title game analysis - Kansas City Star
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Evolution of Gaming : Graphics vs Gameplay If you are old enough to remember the early days of computer gaming you know there were a lot of great games that were fun because of the exceptional gameplay and not just the graphics. Gaming started to become a little more popular in the 90s once people started buying computers. A Comparison Of the Next Generation Gaming Consoles (Part 2) Arguably Microsoft can attribute a great deal of its success to the hugely successful online capabilities. The new Xbox 360 will continue with the online feature and develop it even further. Another Title by Atari Released on StarForce Protected DVDs "Atari has selected StarForce to protect their brand-new game called Race Driver 2", a supervisor from StarForce has stated today."Race Driver 2" is produced by Codemasters and distributed by Atari. Zuma Deluxe Style Games Evolution As I think most of gamers who play in shareware games know game called Zuma Deluxe. This game was extremly popular some time ago and still popular now. Best of British: Gizmondo Doomed To Fail? The Gizmondo combined media player, phone and gaming gadget went on sale in the last month for £229. The device sports an impressive spec: - It can be used to play games, music tracks and movies, it can take and store digital photos and can send SMS, MMS and emails, GPS, GPRS and Bluetooth for multi-player gaming. The Game Tester It's not easy to be a hardcore gamer. It's hard. UAV Swarm Reconfiguration for computer war games The modern battlespace is changing in the real world and in the very near future swarms of UAVs with be a tactic and weapon of choice. Is your computer game software ahead or behind the curve of inovation. The Future of Submarine Games In the last six months, the demise of sims has been pronounced in abundance. Print mags and sim webzines have been telling you sims are being cancelled left and right Jane's A-10: Cancelled. The Story Behind OpenSimcity I've always liked to play SimCity since I was little. I used to play the version for Super Nintendo for hours then and then. Ingredients For A Great Game There are millions of computer games out there on the market, how do you make your game best selling? What features have to be included? I have taken a look on previously best sellers trying to determine what makes a great game.Set the player in focusThe player wants to be in focus in the game, he or she wants to feel that he can control the outcome of the game. Computer Game on Mars; Design for Communication Device Powering up hand held wireless devices in the field for Business Uses, Educational Issues, Monitoring Sensors for Security Purposes or Blue Force Tracking for military troops in the field for net-centric warfare is possible even in the most remote locations can be possible using simple principles which will provide small amounts of energy. There are a few new innovative ways to do this, which appear to have been overlooked. The Future of Video Games I've recently been thinking about where video games could be going in the future. I'm hoping to work in the game industry one day after I've finished university study and I've been wondering about it a lot. A Parents Guide to Online Gaming, Part 2 In part 1 we talked about online gaming and your children, including FPS games and exposure to violent content. We wrap up this week by talking about RTS games, MMORPGs and the additional threats of addiction and social predators. UAV; Hunter II and RQ-1A Predator UAVs Needs Additional Modifications Since the Predator has inverted "V" shaped stabilizers these stabilizers should contain wheel pants and wheels underneath to lessen weight and save costs in manufacturing, we need to bring down the costs of these units. Less mechanism will save weight and we can use that savings in weight for increased payload or more fuel to extend loitering time. Securing Your Accounts With Well-Crafted Passwords In the past I've never really paid much attention to security issues when it comes to user names and passwords. Frankly I figured it was all a lot of overblown hype. How to Write a Business Plan While Playing BizTech 2.0 is an entrepreneur education program offering business assistance to students over 13. New Helicopter Design for Your Video War Games Using Underbelly Cone with Slots Facing Up On a Helicopter to Increase Payload and Liftoff Force. Picture a helicopter model sitting on top of a funnel. Free Games For Your Pocket PC Admit It-You're Often BoredA pocket pc has about a million uses. But one of the most popular uses of a pocket pc is to play games on it. You Dont Have To Be Rich To Be A PC Gamer There is a common misconception that you have to take out a second mortgage on your house if you want to get a computer that will run all of the latest and greatest games. I don't know who started the rumor that you need to spend $3000 to get a gaming computer. Review - Sony PSP I'm fairly certain there are folks at Nintendo feeling some serious self-loathing right about now. You see, back in the mid-90's Nintendo contracted Sony to develop a CD-ROM drive for the Super Nintendo.
|
| Home | Site Map | Resource Links |
