I'm not sure if we have a thread like this already… I couldn't find one. Now that I've got my Miyoo Mini I've been working through years of games that I missed, and replaying ones I fondly remember.
Aside from Golden Sun, I've mainly been exploring the PS1 back catalogue. The nostalgia is overwhelming (that start-up noise!), and things that I found annoying back in the day now feel adorably retro. I love the iconic texture wobbling on every game. I'm not sure why I ever disliked it. Maybe the Miyoo's small screen makes stuff like that more bearable.
Tomb Raider is certainly something. I haven't played it since the 90s, and thank god 3rd person movement ended up more refined than this. But it does have its merits. Every jump feels like it matters. I rarely make death-defying ledge-grab leaps in ancient Tibetan tombs, but if I did I imagine I'd do it like Lara. Carefully judge the distance. A few steps back. Basically take my time. When it's not infuriating, the movement can be a revelation.
Resident Evil 2. Did the police station, which was still wonderful, then forgot just how hard it falls into Resi's second-half-is-shit syndrome.
Spyro is not the game I remember, and has no redeeming features in 2024.
Metal Gear Solid. I had either forgotten this game completely (in my head it was the first bit of MGS2) or somehow never played it. But oh my. Kojima's a weird, horny little man isn't he. When we're all old, and start saying things were better in the 90s, we'll have this game to remind us we're wrong. Can we have one phonecall without talking about Meryl's arse? She's literally lying on the floor dying from a sniper bullet.
Next up is Legend of Mana, because I never played it and it looks pretty.
I was thinking of starting this thread myself.
Recently it I've played and enjoyed Secret of Mana and Breath of Fire IV. Castlevania Aria of Sorrow was incredible, good enough that as soon as I finished it I played it again.
I've tried playing a few tactical RPGs (Valiant Hearts, Fire Emblem , Tactics Ogre GBA) they are fine but I tend to get bored. They are slow and not as tactical as they claim.
I'm thinking of playing Chrono Trigger next.
I've been eyeing the Dreamcast on my office shelves. Feels like time for a Skies of Arcadia replay.
Oh I've got Skies of Arcadia on my phone too. Although I've got the GameCube version.
Pikmin 1 was good on my phone too.
Been playing Sega Rally for the past few days and it's pretty incredible how they absolutely nailed the physics the first time. I think there's just four races but the pursuit of mastery and self improvement makes it an endless game, especially as it just plays so well.
It's funny you bring up Tomb Raider because the new remasters added new optional controls and they sound pretty terrible, breaking the grid based movement in a game that is literally built around it.
Been on the Amiga 500 today and still doing my YT playthroughs of footy games which have so far been entirely PS1 based.
It's became a bit of a retro games crowd darling, but Future Cop is really good for the PS1 if you missed that, played it for the first game thanks to my Retroid Pocket and I could see why everyone loves it.
I can't get Amiga emulation working on anything. It seems very complicated, and I haven't had the energy to devote the time to read up on how to do it yet. I might have a look this weekend.
I have played a bit of Speedball 2 on a Megadrive emulator though. It's not quite the same, but it's close enough to still have that magic. Just the names of the teams and the players you can buy in league mode give me a real Proustian rush. Midia, Quiss, Roscopp, Seline, Norman. It's still annoying that you only get to play two seasons, and it's game over if you don't get promoted in the first one, then game over again if you don't win the top division, which is almost impossible thanks to the presence of bloody Super Nashwan.
I've also been playing Crazy Taxi, which remains a really fun blast in short bursts and an exercise in frustration if you try to take it any more seriously than that. I cannot for the life of me make more than $2000 in an arcade session, which is only about five passengers. And that's it I do really unusually well. I have no doubt that everyone else reading this is some kind of expert who can just play the game indefinitely. I just can't do it though, and have no idea how to improve.
I remember Crazy Taxi being a real tough nut to crack, but I could eventually reliably get 20-50k in the Arcade city back in the DC days. I think my best was a million, but that was an absolute fluke and the memory card has almost certainly disappeared.
I remember there was a trick to boosting in Craxy Taxi. Something about whacking it in reverse after you've dropped a passenger off? Once I figured that out, it got a lot easier. Although this was back on the original Xbox.
Okay, now try Space Channel 5!!!!!
I remember there was a trick to boosting in Craxy Taxi. Something about whacking it in reverse after you've dropped a passenger off? Once I figured that out, it got a lot easier. Although this was back on the original Xbox.
The boost is doing a quick reverse/drive flick of the gears and hitting the accelerator as you hit the forward gear. It's not easy (it's actually easier in the arcade where you have a stick shift), but it definitely helps.
I used to be good at Crazy Taxi in the arcade, and I distinctly remember being able to do two laps of the city before failing. Nowadays, highly unlikely. But it's definitely about getting the right customers - the colours indicate how far you need to travel to drop them off, with the further distances being worth more but draining your time, and then you need to combo the near miss stuff with traffic and hitting ramps to earn bonus tips. Taking shortcuts helps too (like storming off the top floor of the car park) and using the boost over grass areas, like up the hill to the church (the vicar is definitely one of the key passengers). Plus, the first passenger should always be the yellow ring guy right behind you when you start… reversing right as it says Go is your friend. 
The Miyoo Mini Plus is still gobsmackingly good. The novelty hasn't worn off.
I'm playing Gameboy games – original Gameboy games – from start to finish and genuinely enjoying them. The form factor, screen and ease of use are a revelation. I've always been able to do this on my phone, PC and Switch, but something about this tiny form factor makes these ancient, simple games a viable way to spend your time.
I had an OG Gameboy back in the day, but it was basically a Tetris and Zelda machine, so it's been lovely going back to all the stuff I missed. Wario Land is bloody brilliant, for a start. And Tetris is still the best version of Tetris.
I've also been playing through Pokémon Unbound, which might be my favourite Pokémon game now (aside from Arceus). It's a fan-made game using assets from Fire Red, and it's filled with all the stuff Game Freak are too daft to implement. Side quests. QoL improvements. Half-decent writing. (Although don't let the first ten minutes put you off, it's strangely edgelord right at the start, like a bunch of teenagers have realised they can be a bit naughty with Pokémon because the grown-ups aren't watching. But it settles down fairly quickly.)
The Miyoo might be the best fifty quid I've ever spent on this hobby.
It's probably the best handheld of the bunch because you can take it with you more easily than the others, although you won't catch mine dead without a case around it that makes it a lot harder to pocket it. As I said in the other thread I got an Anbernic 405M recently, it does absolutely nothing my Retroid doesn't but this is metal(!!!) and I think at a push I could probably injure someone with it. Flashing it to GammaOS does really highlight how god like Onion OS is though, far easier to do and better features.
I keep seeing all this Onion/Gamma stuff and wonder what I'm doing wrong… is that something not available to me if my device is Android? I'd assume so. Just checking, as I've never got my Ambernic fully up and running, so I need to find the time to do it.
Onion is (I think) just for the Miyoo Mini, which is Linux. Garlic is the Anbernic version.
It's flipping brilliant. The game switcher is one of those things that seems like magic when you first use it, and quickly becomes the only way you can bear to play emulators.
Okay, does an idiots guide for Garlic exist? Because that's where I always run into difficulty - guides and instructions are written by the people who made it, so they always assume knowledge and don't write for noobs. I'm an idiot. I need someone to show me without assuming I know stuff (even though I guess I know some stuff).
Onion is (I think) just for the Miyoo Mini, which is Linux. Garlic is the Anbernic version.
It's flipping brilliant. The game switcher is one of those things that seems like magic when you first use it, and quickly becomes the only way you can bear to play emulators.
Feels like the goal is to make Retroarch as invisible as possible lol, especially if you're introducing someone new to all this. Even for devices that are just Android you can use frontends like Emudeck or Daijisho so they interact with it for you and you just see what the frontend is doing.
So say someone loved their old Retroid, is now in the market for a replacement, and hasn't been keeping up with new handheld releases… What are the best (small, cheapish) retro handhelds just now?
Miyoo Mini Plus and the RG35XX are the most portable, basically smaller classic gameboys that run GB to PS1 games. (Apparently you can get Drastic on MM now, I'm not touching that one). Cheapest, sometimes the Miyoo goes for £50 on droix, but not rn sadly. :(
If you loved the RP2 there's a basic straight up upgrade in every way with the Retroid Pocket 2 S which also comes in a METAL variant, it has two actual analog sticks now and analogue triggers I believe (for any game that differentiates between slight and full presses). If you had the RP2 and not the RP2+ I think this should be able to play a little more but I've never really tested the extent it can go but I did try Sonic Adventure on the Dreamcast on the RP2+ so I assume the S variant can. (small screen for it though innit?)
There's also the Retroid Pocket 3+ which is also I think a little more powerful because I used it to play a 30 hour PSP game, so it can go that far at least. This is because this one is widescreen, I played Outrun 2 PSP on my RP2+ a lot so it's not like it's super cursed but the better aspect ratio thing is nice right?
There's also the Retroid Pocket Flip which is a clamshell like device with I believe identical internals to the RP3+ while only having one screen and itself only having two sliders, no analogs (which if you were like me you looked at the slider on the second analog for the RP2, thought it was a bit of a shame and never played a dual analog game on it ever anyway lol). Deal breaker for some people is the Hinge doesn't fully open at a 180 degree angle it's whatever this
Spoiler - click to show
Then you have stuff on the Anbernic side (I know there's stuff like Powkiddy and what have you but I do not know anything about them except some look good at least, and some look really tacky imo). To that end I only have the Anbernic 405M which is basically a counterpart to the RP3+ but apparently slightly weaker and it isn't widescreen. I can't reccomend it yet but it feels premium af and I rub it on my face. 🧐
You sound like a RP2S man
Yeah, the RP2S would get me a touch screen too which would make the menus less annoying.
I'm tempted just to go for one of the smaller & cheaper options though and use my mobile and 8bitdo controller for anything which needs sticks.
I have the 3+ and like it although it was at the top end of what I wanted to pay even with being on sale. I was actually at the Yorkshire Amiga meet up yesterday and now have had the keyboard mended on my A500 and had a drive emulator added, so I can play disk files off that.
If you are after Amiga Emulation it might be worth putting the Amiga Mini on a watch list, the final firmware update added adf file support, so you can play games off USB via it.
Can confirm that the Amiga Mini works like a dream for emulation. It's literally just plug in and go, and you can reconfigure the controls however you like with a few button presses. Sure, it's another piece of kit to put on a shelf but it definitely works.
It's a lovely bit of kit though. The fact the power cable and hdmi are themed on the original Amiga cables is such a nice little touch.
Quite interested in the Tomb Raider Evercade collection, I really liked the look of the new Evercade console they announced too.
