The UKFF Retro Gaming Thread

[Devon Malcolm]

Same with mine. Never even got to play it! You get what you pay for.

[FLips]

Mine has charging issues where the battery % it shows seems to be made up. I’ve noticed the battery dies when it’s fully turned off and when it’s charging but on too. 

Only really useable by putting it on charge, switching it fully off and then playing it.

Like Devon said, you get what you pay for.

[Jazzy G]

I have a new one waiting for me at home that doubles as a power bank. I don't think it's an Anbernic or a Powkiddy. It's green, has a 6 button layout and for some reason an analogue stick instead of a d-pad. This will make fighting games awkward. I'll review properly when I get home and get chance to give it a try. I think I now have about 6 of these devices altogether? They're really useful for in the car etc. I still need to have a proper look at how to sideload stuff onto them as there's a distinct lack of Tetris on some of them. 

[Dr. Alan Grant]

I’ve fixed mine now. I held the power button in for about 10 seconds till the blue light went out. Then held it in for 2 or 3 seconds and it came back to life. I am still using the original SD card and most of the write-ups I read before I bought it suggested changing it as soon as possible. If I have any more problems, I might do that. 

[TibBo]

Make sure you are always charging it with the cable it came with too. They don't seem to like the charging cables which have usb-c on both ends

[Devon Malcolm]

Yeah, that 1.7cm long charging cable was a real gift.

[FLips]

Couldn't find a solution to your issue @Onyx2. Other than a full power off and on again, it might have to be playing the Super Famicom instead.

[Onyx2]

1 hour ago, FLips said:

Couldn't find a solution to your issue @Onyx2. Other than a full power off and on again, it might have to be playing the Super Famicom instead.

Cheers for looking. I can 'search for a game and launch it no problem, I just literally can't open the Super NES section to browse. 

[FLips]

14 minutes ago, Onyx2 said:

Cheers for looking. I can 'search for a game and launch it no problem, I just literally can't open the Super NES section to browse. 

I did what you did to see if it was a common issue or just random and it turns out yes, changing to Grid view knacks it to keep resetting.

I found the resolution though. Press Start on the main menu and select UI settings, change the Theme to a different one and it fixes it. Change the theme back if you want afterwards. I loaded my Pokemon Emerald save and the save states and battery save were both intact so it shouldn't do anything to your Super Metroid file.

[Jazzy G]

I think you have to use the proprietary charging cable because they charge at a lower rate than regular devices. Anbernic devices will all charge from the same cable, though. 

[Onyx2]

12 hours ago, FLips said:

I did what you did to see if it was a common issue or just random and it turns out yes, changing to Grid view knacks it to keep resetting.

I found the resolution though. Press Start on the main menu and select UI settings, change the Theme to a different one and it fixes it. Change the theme back if you want afterwards. I loaded my Pokemon Emerald save and the save states and battery save were both intact so it shouldn't do anything to your Super Metroid file.

It worked! A million gold stars. Beat Metroid too!

Oof, only 57% completion though.

Edited January 21, 2025 by Onyx2

[DavidB6937]

Thought this might be of interest to some of you:

https://www.eurogamer.net/video-game-history-foundations-long-awaited-digital-library-will-be-available-next-week

[SuperBacon]

46 minutes ago, DavidB6937 said:

Thought this might be of interest to some of you:

https://www.eurogamer.net/video-game-history-foundations-long-awaited-digital-library-will-be-available-next-week

All those magazines!!!! Oh my lord.

[Merzbow]

Archive.org is amazing for people uploading old magazines, I've been looking for a full issue number 2 of the Official Playstation Magazine but had no luck so hopefully that might be included here.

[FLips]

I wonder if I can track down the issue of Gamesmaster my letter was printed in.

I finally got around to finishing Earthbound and found it to be incredible and worthy of all the praise you hear about it. There's a very unique charm to an RPG set in 1990s suburban America when compared to your dime-a-dozen high fantasy games, the soundtrack is outstanding, and it somehow makes 8-bit style graphics on a 16-bit system look stunning.
It's not without it's faults mind you.
The difficulty spike is insane in parts and even after grinding way above necessary I would still struggle against certain enemies. This didn't help in the late game because they front load the more interesting and fun ideas into the first 2/3 of the game, so by the time you get the last character the game isn't up to much until you collect all 8 sounds and get into the end game.

If you want a difficult but do-able RPG that's unlike anything else before or after then this is a must. It's very ahead of it's time not just from a technological standpoint but things like its confirmed, respectable and open representation of a gay child, replacing status effects with relatable feelings like home sickness (call your Mum to cure this), common cold and crying, and fourth wall breaking.

While it could be boiled down to a simple "special kids group together to save the world from an alien" it's actually more than that. It's about child-like innocence and friendships, facing adversity and doing the right thing out of the goodness of your heart.

Go home, have your Mum make your favourite food and send you to bed while this plays. Brings a tear to your eyes.