Review: Gun Nac for the NES

Shooters on the NES are a mixed bag. They were plentiful, but due to hardware limitations, they were very basic and similar in most regards. There are dozens of shooters, but only a few are held in high regard. Gun Nac is one of them.

The game was developed by Compile, and its heritage shows. Your ship has that "basic" Compile look to it, as seem in Power Strike, Zanac, Space Megaforce, and others. Ship handling is tight,  responsive, if maybe a tad too fast.
The laser is powerful but hard to aim

Power ups are decently varied for the era.
1 - wide ranging vulcan shot - good for beginners
2- large round shot that fragments latterally - fancier but difficult to survive with on later levels
3 - homing but weak scythe-like shots - good for beginners as it makes the stages easier, but ineffective for harder bosses
4 - pulsing flame thrower - it shoots out at length with the initial button press, then its range gradually shortens until pressed again. Effective but tricky to use.
5 - piercing laser - strong, but difficult to use as your shot needs to be lined up to be effective; a good choice against bosses.
The compile "P" chip in one its earliest appearances

Each one can be powered up by collecting the same numbered icon, or "p" chips; another developer staple. Getting hit will lower your shot power; getting hit while on the lowest level results in death.

Awww, how cute. It's firing carrot missiles!

As an interesting addition, there is a shop that you visit between each stage, where you can purchase weapons and upgrades with the cash that you picked up during the stages. Depending on which difficulty setting you play on, this may or may not be helpful. I found myself not needing to buy power ups until the later stages.
Sometimes weapons and pickups clutter the screen
There are several different bombs that you can collect, each denoted by a letter. The more of a specific letter you have collected, the more powerful the effect. You can hold up to 20 of them, but you don't know how many of each you have. These are plentiful.

The programmers at Compile knew how to squeeze everything out of the NES cpu, as there is always a screen full of activity. The enemy variety is superb, and enemies are unique to each stage.
In stage one, the primary enemies are variations of robotic bunnies, as follows with the storyline. There are big bunnies, medium bunnies, carrot projectiles, and a big boss bunny. While these enemy sprites are cute, well designed, creative, and weird. Some examples of enemies include:
flying matches, cigarettes, giant candles, matchboxes, fortune cookies, battle ships with octopi sailors, tentacled creatures, mermaids, and so on.
Attacked by cigarettes and there some underlying message here?

The action is very lively and fun to take in. There is an abundance of different enemy sprites, all unique to particular stages. If there is one downside to the graphical presentation its the backgrounds. These are pretty standard fare, and sometimes the color use is questionable. I suppose when using the majority of the NES's color palette for the sprites, the leftover colors are used for the backgrounds. Despite this, there's more than enough interest and intrigue in the visuals to make this game a looker.

Bosses are varied
When powered up, the game is on the easy side for shoot' em up veterans. Newcomers to the genre and casual gamers will have no problem stepping as the difficulty curve is a gradual one. Power ups seem to litter the screen at times, so getting powered up again after dying is not as harsh as other games of the era, like Gradius.

Scenery is a mixed bag. Some good, some meh.
I enthusiastically recommend playing this game. Its accessible, interesting, fair, and lot of fun. I find myself coming back to this one over and over again. The cart is, as with many vetted classics, pretty expensive, but if you have the means to play Famicom games that may be a cheaper alternative, or just use an Everdrive or emulation. Any way you get to try it, I think you'll like it.

Review: Retro-Bit Dual Link Controllers

During this revival of retro gaming, more and more people are dusting off their old retro consoles and reliving their past. Often there comes a need to acquire extra controllers, as the originals may be missing or no longer functional.  A quick search online will show that there are a plethora of third party controllers for retro game consoles, many on the cheap. When compared to the standard of original controllers, most of these fail to compare favorably. Sure, they get the job done, but as the old adage says, you get what you pay for. I wasn't in need of extra controllers, but I couldn't pass up the Mega Man designs. I figured I could use these on my original consoles as well as on Retropie.

Every now and then I put together a console setup for friends, and doing so requires me to assemble all the necessary controllers and cords. I have found that I am disappointed in 9/10 generic controllers that I encounter. Everyone has different priorities/taste when looking for a third party replacement controller. From aesthetics, to design, d-pad stiffness, button clickiness (or lack of), cord length, heft, and overall physical form factor, there are a lot of variables to consider. For me, the most important aspects of a generic controller are:
a - how close the d-pad feels to the original
b - how close the button "springiness" matches the original
c - how well the controller feels compared to the original

NES controller comparison
Clearly the button positions on the Retro-Bit NES controller are different, and the buttons are convex instead of concave. I presume this was done to match the B and A button positions on a SNES controller. Its different, but is easy to get used to. The start and select buttons have been raised for some reason. It's not a huge bother, but I found myself pressing the center of the controller out of habit, only to have to stop and look for the start button. The d-pad does not have the arrow indentations that the original has, and has perhaps a lower profile. I found this to be very comfortable, maybe even more comfortable than the original. Movement is smooth, and the resistance is just right. The buttons feel good, except that I prefer the concavity of the original. The build quality is great, and has the same weight as you expect is should. This particular Mega Man design is one of two characters that Retro-Bit licensed from Capcom, the other being Arthur from Ghost's n' Goblins. There is also a non-character design, but I think it looks too plain.

SNES controller comparison
The Retro-Bit SNES controller does not deviate from the original controller design. All of the buttons are where you expect them, and the X and Y buttons are even concave to physically distinguish them from B and A. The button press resistance is bit lighter than the originals, which I like a lot. The L and R shoulder buttons even have a "clickier" feel to them, but not in a bad way. The d-pad is perfect, they nailed this one.

Genesis controller comparison
The Genesis 6-button controller is the second controller released, the first having only three buttons and a start button. It was released around the time when Street Fighter 2 Champion Edition was released, and with good reason. Playing SF2 with only three buttons is a nightmare. You would have to press start to switch between punch and kick. In a game where speed matters, that is a game breaker. It also featured a new d-pad, which is smoother and a bit raised compared to the original. It feels better overall, and is a very comfortable controller. Retrobit did a nice job recreating the feel and tactility on their officially branded SF2 6-button controller.

The whole dual-link concept is an original idea for reproduction controllers, and a welcome one. With more and more options for playing retro games, having a multiple controllers for each system is cumbersome. These controllers all have an original plug and a usb connection, so you can use the same controllers for emulation as well as original hardware.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at the build quality and performance of Retrobit's dual link controllers. They are definitely worth the price, and the awesome licensed artwork is icing on the cake. I highly recommend them. I would go at get them now before the license runs out, as I don't imagine there will be a huge production run.

Review: The Open Source Scan Converter (OSSC)

Anyone who has tried to connect a retro game system to a modern TV has no doubt experienced an unappealing, blurry image. This is due to the system sending a 240p video signal, which is interpreted as 480i by the modern TV. For those who don't know, 240p is an older resolution, with 240 lines of resolution, progressively drawn one at a time. 480i is 480 lines of resolution, interlaced, so the lines alternate to increase resolution, yet flicker in doing so. This was the standard television resolution for decades. This signal sent from the older consoles to the TV is like an ancient dialect, and pending the TV brand, correct interpretation varies from meager to none.
I love seeing this at startup, especially with scanline

For this reason many hardcore fans have kept a CRT lying around in their home somewhere. However, this is becoming more and more difficult to do as CRTs take up a lot of space, which gets hard to justify to others that you live with.

Some people want the ultimate in genuine old-school aesthetics, and go so far as to seek out a professional video monitor (pvm) or a broadcast video monitor (bvm) for their retro gaming. These monitors were super high-end, used by television studios and cost thousands of dollars back in the day. The quality of video output is undisputed for older analog sources. Timing was everything if you were trying to get one, as now they are nearly all depleted and have been long gone as we approach a decade of high-definition. I'm sure there were some people giving these away at some point, but in today's market, the remaining units are highly coveted and expensive. Also, they tend to be on the small side.
The Genesis 240p output is amazing, if viewed properly

The XRGB-Mini, known as the Framemeister is a device that converts and upscales old video output standards (240p, 480i) to a signal that your modern HD TV can relate to (720p. 1080p, etc). It does so cleanly and easily. I don't have a Framemeister, so I can't vouch for this myself, but from researching online it seems that there is between 1-2 frames of lag, and the 480p video handling could be better. The Framemeister is expensive. Not only is the unit itself expensive ($350-400), but it will no longer be manufactured after 2017, which will only drive prices higher on the secondary market. Add to that the necessary RGB scart cables and cable adapters (component and RGB) for the ports on the Framemeister, and you're easily adding another couple hundred dollars. Whether this is worth it or not will vary from person to person, like taste in cars.

So long old friend, you've had a good life

My previous setup utilized RGB scart cables, transcoded into a component signal into a Sony Wega Trinitron (2002). As much as people online raved about the Framemeister, I just couldn't get myself to take the plunge. I had decided that RGB through component into the WEGA was good enough for me.

Then I heard about the Open Source Scan Convertor (OSSC). It is a line doubler, instead of an upscaler. That means it converts 240p signals into 480p signals on the fly, without the need to process the image (and hence no lag!), and outputs via HDMI. I'm pretty sensitive to lag, so this, along with at lower price point (less than half of the Framemeister) was what sealed the deal for me. If your TV allows, you can even integer scale the picture at 3x, 4x, and even 5x. My TV is an older LCD and would not, but the default 2x looks pretty awesome to me.

There are three inputs connections:
Scart - accepts RGBs, RGsB (sync on green) and YPbPr

Component - accepts YPbPr and RGsB (sync on green)
VGA - accepts RGBhv, RGBs, RGsB (sync on green) and YPbPr

Scart cables are necessary for the RGB output, and these can be easily found online these days. They are system specific.

Note that there is no composite nor S-video input. This is really not an issue, as anyone who gets this far research-wise is not looking to use those sub-par connections anyway, so why clutter things up?

My OSSC is version 1.6, which includes audio out via HDMI, which the previous versions did not have natively onboard. There is a micro-SD card slot for firmware updates, and audio in jacks for the VGA and component sources (the RGB scart .

The 6th generation consoles that output 480i are processed to reduced the jittering that takes pace when interlaced video is displayed, giving the overall picture a steadier appearance. 480p video output can be passed through or line doubled to 960p. There were a few games per system that did this, and you will need the infamous Gamecube component cables for that console.
Dreamcast games never looked better

I have been waiting for a proper solution for my Dreamcast to come along for a while. I could have hooked it up to my HDTV via VGA (which looked great), but I wanted it to reside alongside its 6th generation counterparts, instead of the oddball next to the PS3 and PS4. So I had it hooked via S-video. Now that there is a dedicated port for VGA to hdmi, my problem is solved.

After a week of playing around, I couldn't be happier with the results. Nearly all of the default settings worked to perfection out of the box. There are advanced options to fiddle with, but I am not as technically inclined to know exactly how to do everything with it, so I am totally ok with the default setting for each signal. Scanlines can be toggled on and off, as well as adjusted for thickness.
It's a little ironic to add scanlines to a system that is digitally processed to double the number of lines, after all, scanlines are the absent lines on CRTs due to resolution limitations. I still like them, and I think that game developers kept them in mind when designing graphics back in the day. I prefer them with older systems, and may or may not turn them on with 6th generation consoles.
Scanlines are a must for NES games

Here's what I have connected:

via scart using a Bandridge manual 5-port switcher
NES (RGB modded)
Genesis (model 1 w/stereo scart cable)
SNES (1-chip)
Bandridge scart switches are hard to come by

via component using an Impact 6-port component powered switcher :
PC-Engine Duo (component mod)
Gamecube (via official Nintendo component cables)

via VGA:
Dreamcast (3rd party VGA cable)
with scanlines at 18%
no scanlines

The only system that I am unable to connect with this is my N64. Coincidentally, this is my least favorite system, and I'm not terribly bothered. Perhaps some day I'll get it RGB modded so it can join its brethren in my setup.

Final Thoughts
I am very happy with the picture quality that the OSSC puts out. It does everything I need it to, and does it well. Far and away the best feature is having no input lag, which even the Framemeister cannot claim. It is compact, and has direct connections for all of my video inputs (except the aforementioned S-video, for which it gets a pass) without needing more adapters (D-terminal and scart adapters, for example). I like the fact that my setups have been consolidated, as I can obviously connect modern consoles to the same TV as the OSSC. For all that you get, the price is right. Given that this is open source, more improvements and tweaks can reasonably be expected. I thought I would stick it out with my Wega CRT but after switching I don't see going back. I highly recommend the OSSC for anyone who wants to play old school on modern TVs with no lag.