Oddity Archive: Episode 71 – Video Games (A Non-Gamer's Perspective)
Oddity Archive: Episode 71 – Video Games (A Non-Gamer's Perspective)
Q: y u no duvide games?
A: Because I’m not that kind of girl–er, wait. You want me to do video games? Scratch that last comment.
Segments begin at:
4:23 – SNES/Game Boy
13:44 – Sega Genesis
19:59 – NES
24:08 – NES Game Collection
27:37 – PC Emulator
32:14 – Atari 2600
37:34 – Atari Game Collection
Download the “8-bit” version of “Pavanned” at http://benminnotte.bandcamp.com/track/pavanned-8-bit-version
Visit our website at http://www.theoddityarchive.com
Social Media:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/oddityarchive
Twitter: @oddityarchive
Gaming literally runs in my blood. My Mom back in the early 1980’s was a regular at the local Arcade. Whenever some guy asks why she and another girl friend of hers would get asked why they were there by someone from out of town (who didn’t know them) she’d act like she didn’t know what she was doing and then just KILL them at the game! It’s because of her and my older sister that I never believed in the "girls can’t play video games" belief and have been playing games since I was 4 years old as a confident girl gamer.
Huh, well done on your little jingle remix at the Oddity Archive intro!
I have a few video game consoles a wii a game boy advance a 3ds an xbox( which sadly doesnโt read its games anymore) an n64( high for some reason doesnโt work anymore) an nes a Super Nintendo classic an nes plug n play clone at games Sega genesis the original Sega genesis and the latest console Iโve got is the Wii U which I mainly use for games and YouTube and the internet
10:00 I have a different assumption about the plastic because I have seen the half and half before. Mine is stranger… It is mostly yellow except for around the controller ports and the cartridge slot. I think it has something to do with how the plastic was processed and different batches had different end results in terms of aging. Who knows, though…
9:30 If you’re keen to finish off the SNES restoration, try retrobriting (sometimes spelled "retrobright" or "retr0bright") the bottom of the case. A few of the retrocomputing channels (The 8-Bit Guy, RetroManCave, Retro Recipes etc) show the process and it usually works well on old/yellowed computer cases.
I had a SEGA Genesis as a kid. I had a shit ton of games on it…
37:52 It’s dabbing way before it was cool.
7:44 if you want something like the Super Nintendo Sega Genesis I know cuz it sells them instead I know you would want
CZ 3 main st three rivers mi 49093
Huh… I don’t remember King Soopers ever selling video games. o.O
Why don’t you do video games?
The first version of the Nes light gun was grey. Parent groups freaked out about it and they made it orange. Interesting enough the Sega Master System’s light gun was all black and never changed.
LJN is the absolute worst company that made abortions in the 80’s-90’s. No wonder you are not a gamer.
My God man, have you always been a Mac guy? Did you actually miss out on Wolfenstein and Doom? I grew up around the time you did and I can’t see how you missed all of this. I had friends like you in high school that only played puzzle games, generally Tetris. In 1993 I invited a couple of them over to my house (the place all neighborhood kids went) and blew their minds. Their problem seemed to be that consoles were really targeting a younger audience. That’s why they couldn’t get into it, and I got it. Oh, look it’s a plumber jumping on turtles…who the fuck cares..I got it. Well along with playing console games, I also built PC’s (I still won’t allow a Mac in my home) and I just finished a 486DX2 build with Doom running full out. It changed their lives (they became PC gamers and still play today).
The wild feeds video I’d find interesting, if you ever chose to do it.
Seicross is what we call a "Shoot ‘Em Up" ๐ I’m more at an intermediate level when it comes to knowledge of Retro Gaming. The yellowing of consoles is called Oxydization. Oxygen will turn white plastic in the Nintendo systems yellowish over time.
God LJN N(the rainbow) was the WORST ever. Except for spiderman rampage on Genesis, those were actually pretty ballin’.
Am i the only person ever that was able to finish the E.T. game?
m gad yu dudvide gams
LJN = "that stupid rainbow company"
Of course you were a sega genesis kid, you freaking weirdo.
Torgo on the Nintendo!
Retr0bright or the homemade version will get the yellow out of that plastic. It’s a reversible reaction between the fire retardant and UV.
can I have a SNES?
LJN the "stupid rainbow company" xD
I know this comment’s 3 years late to the party, but I’m kinda disappointed you didn’t cover the history of gaming. It’s extremely expansive and as an extremely young form of media it can actually be traced back to its orgins, unlike film. There’s lots of interesting bits of history… the stock crash, the feud between Sony and Nintendo over the SNES CD addon (before Philips stepped in,) indie gaming as a whole, it’s all a great read. Having said that, if you’re not a gamer it can also be a tiring read as you’re not terribly familiar with a lot of the content and gamers in general are extremely vulnerable to hyperbole (myself included.) Even then I wouldn’t call games in general ‘AV Geekery,’ as consoles and PCs tend to develop as technology itself develops rather than stagnating and staying on one format, the technology including the TV itself. The modern TV for example can usually reach 4k resolution with is actually a higher resolution then the human eye itself, so at this point it’s a matter of developing the console and PC to a point where it can generate photorealistic 3D models before games start looking like reality.
Besides I come to the Oddity Archive for stuff I don’t know and gaming in general – and its business practices – is something I already know a fuckload about… Plus, as I said before, I don’t think gaming qualifies as AV, though it certainly has both audio and video. What separates it from film these days is the concept of ‘control.’ Nothing less and nothing more… having said that if I can recommend a game that gives you, as a non-gamer, a better idea of how gaming has evolved into a fine art form, let alone a piece of media, I’d recommend playing Valve’s Portal and more importantly its sequel Portal 2. While it’s set within Valve’s Half-Life universe, they’re meant to be played separate from eachother and most elements that connect eachother together are small cameos within both series rather than story elements.
If you ever in the future would like a collab partner for videogame based stuff im available benny boy and quite the savy gaming nerd with a pretty decently ever growing collection of systems and games i know its not your cup of tea or expertise but yea if ever in the future just gimme a hollar bud i got nothing better to do in my free time than nerd out all alone x.x
The plastic is yellow because of a fire retardant called Bromine. A chemical element, mind you.
With exposure to UV light, the Bromine reacts and causes the structural integrity of the plastic to disintegrate, and of course, the dreaded yellowing.
There IS a chemical concoction one can put together to reverse the reaction. It goes by the name of retrobright. It includes OxiClean, Liquid Glycerin, 12% Hydrogen peroxide (which can be obtained via Amazon), and xanthan gum. The xanthan gum allows the mixture to be slathered on, as it turns the mixture to a gel.
After putting all the crap on the plastic, let it sit out in the sun for a day, and it will have reversed, and the plastic will be back to normal. Although you may have to do it for more than one day.
25:10 I think "world class Track Meet" sold a lot of money on ebay you should look into it. My cousin had one back in the day and she sold it long time ago and I kick my self very day for not asking for it lol. Or I could be thinking of another game.
ย
Leisure Suit Larry, E.T., LJN Games…yes sir, you’re no gamer. Stick with reminiscing about antiquated video & audio technology.
That is a model 2 sega gen. it can expand to sega CD. The model 1 sega CD doesnt bode well with it, but you can still use it. The model 2 sega CD (the one that looks like an old sony walkmanCD) is what was designed for it. Personally i have the model 1 cd (perfect condition w/thermal plate) and the model 1 sega gen. There was addtionally a 32x that you could install in the cartriage slot.
All of this being said there was also a sega genesis model 3. In the 3rd model genesis, you could not expand to the CD nor the 32x. For a good laugh google the sega genesis tower!
The yellowing that you talk about is actually the oxidation of the plastics. Its a pain but easy fix. Gut it system of all boards and components and soak it for a bit in this chemical bath that removes the oxidation and youre golden, errr white!
Love this show BTW.
Your Genesis looks to be a Model 2, Ben. There should be an expansion port on the side to hook up to the Sega CD. It also supports the horrid 32x.
37:55 – That thing kinda looks like Woodstock from Peanuts *-* ๐
Looks like you’re supposed to follow the arrows on ET, not that it matters.
the yellowing is a difference in the mix levels in the two different plastic moldings. The yellow part got a less than great batch. could be due to any number of manufacturing reasons.
http://www.ampacet.com/faqs/yellowing-and-pinking-white-pe-pp/
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the video game crash of 1982. I know you didn’t do a history lesson, but the ET Atari game is the symbol of the video game crash of 1982. You didn’t even mention all the ET cartridges in the landfill. It Would make a great episode.
BTW- If you ever find "The Adventures of LoLo" (or any of its sequels) get it. You’ll love it! The cover makes it look like an adventure game, but it’s really a puzzle game. It looks like you just run from one side of the room to another, but you discover that you must do everything just right, in the right order, while protecting yourself from being shot with blocks…
I’m not doing it justice. I just remember the whole family sitting around the TV, trying to solve the puzzle.
I still wish you’d do an episode about wild feeds, just because they’re inherently odd to people who are slightly too young for C-band.
NAHMBAH WAHN AHNSAAAH
Ben, you can avoid switching the RF modulator if you have one of those auto-switching modulators like they sold at Walmart in the 90s, handles 4 inputs, composite and S-video, all NTSC. Turn one device on and it takes over (sorta, you have to turn some things off now and then) and outputs to your video recorder or TV. No, I never ditched my 27-40 year old Trinitrons, they will outlive me (because there is a poltergeist in there of course).
You kept saying "stupid rainbow company" and I was almost expecting a cameo from AVGN… fun video regardless though! It’s interesting to hear about games from a non gamer type!
Fucking topgun, friday the 13th, Back to the future, you sure love LJN dont ya? Buch of laughing joking numbnuts and Fucking ET? that box is jame rolfe’s nightmares, all you need is simons quest lol
alltho you didnt see any "leaky" caps seems you might have a dry cap. probly just in the power supply in the filtercap just replace any can caps and you should be fine ffrom now on
Yeah LJN is a horrible company when it comes to video games
wait. you mentioned family computer. do you mean your family’s computer or the japanese famicom? stupid question but i wasnt sure.
Torgo on the Nintendo!
We have now joined the eighth generation of gaming with Nintendo’s Wii U rocking the world
Does the host hide his face because he shuns the spotlight or because he is a fugitive on the lamb?
7:13 still the same today
Xbox, PlayStation & Nintendo never change
10-15-2019
great show, still greatly undrrated and overlooked i.m.h.o.
i’ve been hooked for about a year now, and always looking forward to new videos.
you really know how to capture the zeitgeist of the things you cover, and really convey the feel and atmosphere of the particular era.
also, the intro music is a hymn, it is just that awesome.
being born in the late 70’s, i was surprised to discover that Pavanned is a fairly recent bit of music,
could’ve fooled me!
(and did)
keep it up!
The yellowing is due to the fire retardant many governments insisted be put in to all these types of plastics for home use, especially consoles and home computers. They will all eventually go that way as the bromine compounds migrate to the top surface. Light and heat only accelerate the process. There are various methods of getting rid of it using peroxide and sun light, for instance.
u dont dovid gams bekuz u r teh sucs. The castle scene in the beginning reminds me of when I took 14 hits of acid and looked at a book from the 1970’s. I could taste, feel, and touch the 1970’s.
At first I was astonished that you didn’t know how to get out of the pit in E.T. but as I thought about it more, I realized that without the manual E.T. really doesn’t make sense at all. The world wraps at multiple points which you discovered, and the symbol at the top of the screen indicates either an item you need or the direction you need to go. Sadly I can say I beat E.T. when I was younger. Not much of a feat I know, but it really is nonsensical without directions. And yes, it is not a good game.
The Retron 5 felt cheap because it’s 90s technology made from modern technology. You can compress all NES games to fit in less than 1 gb.
I fast forwarded to the Atari 2600 section. You appear to have a great well organized collection. I have the parts to hook up mine, just a matter of putting it all together. Just recently subscribed to your channel as well.