The UKFF Retro Gaming Thread

[TibBo]

A few years ago I got involved in a bit of a homebrew scene that were going to update Wrestlefest to include new characters etc (which eventually evolved into Retromania Wrestling).
I worked on a few different characters and just found this on an old memory stick.  Thought you guys might like it

[Jazzy G]

That's really good. 

[BigJag]

8 hours ago, TibBo said:

A few years ago I got involved in a bit of a homebrew scene that were going to update Wrestlefest to include new characters etc (which eventually evolved into Retromania Wrestling).
I worked on a few different characters and just found this on an old memory stick.  Thought you guys might like it

Brilliant! I still need to play Retromania Wrestling. Is it still being supported by the developer?

[westlondonmist]

27 minutes ago, BigJag said:

Brilliant! I still need to play Retromania Wrestling. Is it still being supported by the developer?

They haven't done an update since May, they still haven't released the promised dlc of Mr Hughes and James Storm. They have replied to recent emails apparently saying they will be done but no dates. 

[BigJag]

Cheers. What's the general consensus on the game itself?

[westlondonmist]

2 hours ago, BigJag said:

Cheers. What's the general consensus on the game itself?

Not played it myself, was waiting for a sale then forgot. General views are that while it looks like Wrestle Fest it plays more like a Fire Pro with the grappling rather than button bashing (not a bad thing but some may expect wrestle fest), roster is limited and also a tad random, story mode is short and feels incomplete, 10 pounds of gold also short. It still plays well apparently and gives some Nostalgic value. 

[TibBo]

Basically the initial plan was just to update wrestlefest with new characters.  Then once the head development guy started looking into how to build the new moves etc into the game, they started looking into other additions like ‘hey maybe we could throw opponents into he corner and do moves there too…’ and slowly it moved further and further away from the initial plan.

I guess once they started to look at the development time/costs, they figured it would be better to build it into its own entity and try to monetise it and license new guys etc.

personally I think we should have just stuck with the original plan of keeping the game the same and just expanding the roster and making it free for all. 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, westlondonmist said:

General views are that while it looks like Wrestle Fest it plays more like a Fire Pro with the grappling rather than button bashing (not a bad thing but some may expect wrestle fest)

That's handy to know, as I was waiting for a decent sale myself but didn't get on with Fire Pro. So it's timing-based like that series?

[westlondonmist]

1 hour ago, TibBo said:

Basically the initial plan was just to update wrestlefest with new characters.  Then once the head development guy started looking into how to build the new moves etc into the game, they started looking into other additions like ‘hey maybe we could throw opponents into he corner and do moves there too…’ and slowly it moved further and further away from the initial plan.

I guess once they started to look at the development time/costs, they figured it would be better to build it into its own entity and try to monetise it and license new guys etc.

personally I think we should have just stuck with the original plan of keeping the game the same and just expanding the roster and making it free for all. 

I think I would have preferred that myself but I understand what and why they did it. If you haven't played Wrestle fest or similar WWE games in the 90s you may not enjoy it now. 

 

I'll probably end up getting it, I'm sure I'll enjoy repeatedly playing bWo vs LoD tag matches and I get licensing wrestlers is costly and difficult but it does seem such an odd roster. 

@Uncle Zeb I believe so but not as complex as Fire Pro. So I suppose it could just be considered more modernised Wrestle Fest grapple system. 

Edited April 12, 2023 by westlondonmist

[BigJag]

Does Retromania have a CAW system? It's crying out for that type of element. I followed it's early development. Unfortunately the luke warm response on its release put me off from picking it up. The developers seem to have decided upon a strategy that didn't have the overall appeal that I saw in the original concept. @TibBo has done a good job of explaining the development process. 

[Merzbow]

I always wondered why the sprites were much smaller than WrestleFest, they look good but don't have that same 'roided up chunkiness that made the original pop.

Being zoomed out doesn't help but then they'd still look kinda small.

[Arch Stanton]

@TibBo Great to have some insight into the development from somebody involved!

In the end it was the roster that stopped me ever pulling the trigger on buying this. Having random talent from vastly different eras and promotions meant that the potential for putting together certain match ups from the past, which may have struck a nostalgic chord, was severely limited. I can fully appreciate the challenges that a small indie developer would face in getting licenses for big names on board, so it's not a criticism, but in the end that roster just didn't do anything for me.

I wonder how well a game like that would do without licences, but with a decent CAW mode.

[Tommy!]

In that situation I'd always go for a legally distinct in house homage than a Mish mash of licenced faces. The old Pro Evo Manchester Reds and Ryan Greggs.

[FLips]

Even though it's hammering down today, the recent warmer weather and brighter days have had me in a mood to revisit the Amiga as I did last Summer, and replay some of my favourites but also new ones I missed first time around. I won't be going in as hard on it as I did last time, which is why I haven't made a new thread for it. I'll just be chucking the odd bit in here from time to time.

I've mentioned it before but there's a Youtube channel I follow called Kuokka77 that has a bunch of stereo and dolby Amiga tunes on it and one that kept popping up as recommended was for Nicky Boom. I gave it a listen and fair play it's a catchy little thing so I looked into the game and it looked so odd I had to give it a go.

Nicky Boom is a puzzle platformer featuring what appeared at first to be a little chubby lad with his gut hanging out. His Grandad has been kidnapped by a Wizard so you have to make your way to the Wizard's castle to break him out. Seems like you know what you're in for based on the opening title picture and description. Except...

In-Game Nicky Boom isn't a boy at all, he is a sad little creepy pot-bellied clown man. How they go from the title screen Nicky Boom to this monstrosity is beyond me, but this is the Nicky Boom you play as for some reason.
The game itself is actually pretty decent. As far as Amiga Platformers go it's one of the better controlling ones. The sprites are nice and small so the screen isn't clogged up, and you don't have the usual fast slip and slide, floaty movement of other games. The backgrounds and levels are pretty ok, with quite detailed textures and enemy sprites, with the main background heavy lifting done with a classic Turrican-style colour gradient. They've found a respectable balance of not going hard on the Psygnosis mega graphics and kept everything more compact to improve the game balance.
The levels are massive, with dozens of alternate paths, hidden areas and secret treasures scattered all over. Stage 1 took me roughly 20 minutes as I ran around looking in every nook and cranny. Apparently there are only 8 levels which might explain the depth of them as there is a high score board at the Game Over screen too so it seems finding all the treasures is encouraged. You can make your way directly from A to B if you don't fancy it though, with only minimal searching for bombs and keys needed to finish the level.
I did run in to a snag on Level 2 where I couldn't find my way out of where I was and called it a day after getting a Game Over trying to escape. I'd like to think it was a one-off but the sequel got me the same way later on, so probably not.

Overall, not bad at all. For functionality as a playable platformer it's one of the better ones as it controls well, has plenty to do, and isn't unfairly hard. The music is decent and the graphics OK. Where the game mostly falls down is character design as the hero is a wreck, the enemies are all bugs and for some reason you attack by throwing apple cores. Not a lot of it seems like one good idea, but instead lots of confused average ideas stuck together. Probably a reason I missed this the first time around.

The sequel however. Fucking hell.

Nicky II is a disaster and takes everything from the first one and implodes on itself. In Nicky II almost everything is worse than the first one, starting with the title screen. Nicky in this is no longer a chubby boy/dodgy clown man, but instead looks like a meth addict riding a goose. Not sure why there's a volcano now or why the graphics on the castle are infinitely worse either. Just a mess to open the game to.
Just like the first as well, the title screen Nicky Boom and in-game Nicky Boom are two different people. In the sequel, the worrying but memorable clown persona is gone, and instead we have Jack Duckworth.

The music is worse (I've already forgotten it), the background is the exact same gradient copied and pasted from Nicky Boom and the gameplay is a bit all over the place. Platforms and bridges will just collapse below you into pits, you'll spawn in the levels directly on enemies and halfway through the first level I got soft locked into a room. At least the original waited until level 2 to do that to me.

It's a huge mess and nothing about it is that enjoyable. Nicky Boom had at least a bit of charm and decent level design. The only thing this has going for it is you can at least ride the goose.

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, FelatioLips said:

The only thing this has going for it is you can at least ride the goose.

If you want to ride waterfowl (who doesn't?) and you have an iOS device (oh), then try this game. It's a nutso Panzer Dragoon meets Space Harrier, from the maker of the latter: