Travis | Cheerful Ghost

The Analogue Pocket Wants My $200, Will Probably Get It

Analogue, creators of various retro goodness, have announced their next offering: the Analogue Pocket.

Out of the box, the Analogue Pocket can play all the original run of Gameboy and Gameboy Color games, and has an audio sequencer as well.

With some adapters, you can also play other handheld titles from the Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket, and Atari Lynx.

Taking a note from the PSP and the Nintendo Switch, you'll also be able to buy a separate dock that connects to your TV and USB/Bluetooth controllers for playing your portable games in a non-portable fashion, if that's your thing.

This isn't a portable emulator-- Analogue have engineered their own chips to play these games. And ... just look at it. That's a beautiful piece of hardware.

I'm going to spend the time between now and when this releases trying to tell myself that I don't need it.

https://www.analogue.co/pocket/

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 10/17/2019 at 03:41am

Travis, you need it. Analogue makes some nice devices. I have their Super NT and it is a quality product. I hear the Mega SG is also nice.

Some other features that this has:
- It will play all Game Boy Advance games
- 3.5", 615 PPI, 1600x1440 LCD. Analogue says that it is 10x the resolution of the original Game Boy.
- It has a second FPGA that developers can develop for. I wonder if this means other systems will be ported to it?

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/17/2019 at 03:16pm

Piggy backing on the the success of its previous consoles, this looks like and incredible follow up. I already have two backlit flip GBA handhelds but... this looks so cool. Can’t wait to try it out!

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 10/17/2019 at 03:50pm

I entirely missed that this could also play GBA games. Well, that’s pretty much it for me, no way I’m talking myself out of it now.

jdodson Admin wrote on 10/17/2019 at 04:00pm

Totally. GBA ROM carts are gonna explode in sales too as people want to play homebrew on this.

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Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 68: Sayonara Dragon Link

We love to check in every month or so about what we've been playing and watching. It had been a while, though, so we devoted almost the entire episode to it! And we check in on Jon's playthrough of Link's Awakening on the Switch to see how he liked the end.

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 67: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening For Nintendo Switch

We've returned to Koholint Island after 26 years for this review of the new Nintendo Switch remake of The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening. This is one of our most anticipated games in a while, and we're stoked to finally have our hands on it. Warning: this one gets surprisingly philosophical for a few minutes, and may be worth a listen just for that.

The Sega Genesis Mini Review: GENESIS DOES WHAT NINTENDID BUT MAYBE BETTER

The Sega Genesis Mini has been out for a few days, and I've put in some time with it. I'm impressed. This is not a cheap AtGames device that will languish in the bottom of some drawer. This is a solid device with damn fine emulation, and a feature set to compete with the current trend of minis.

Just looking at the Genesis Mini itself tells you a lot about the care that went into the production. The expansion port cover comes off and the headphone volume slider slides, just like on the original. This serves no functional purpose, but it's meticulous little details that show that Sega is taking this seriously, even if they aren't taking themselves serious in the process (they released a "tower of power" package that you can buy to put a sega cd, 32x, and game cartridge on your Genesis Mini, which do nothing functional but poke fun at the old tower of power joke).

When you first boot up, you are presented with a region selection screen as you'd expect, but you can come back to this at any time to change your region. And you should. This is the one killer feature in my mind-- the games installed on the Genesis Mini have various regions included. If you change to Japan, for instance, you can get the far superior version of Contra: Hard Corps.

But after that you get to the list of games, presented in a nice grid of box art (which also changes based on your region). You can sort this list alphabetically or by release date. This menu's music is so great, I had to look it up. It's brand new music composed by Yuzo Koshiro, the composer of Streets of Rage, and it even uses the Genesis audio hardware to be more accurate to the time.

When you get into one of the system's 42 games, many of the staple features these mini systems are known for are at your fingertips. You can hold start to get the save state menu, and go back to the game list (thankfully), but one omission here is the rewind feature made popular by Nintendo's offerings.

The same kind of picture options you'd expect are here, 4:3 or 16:9, scanlines, etc. As I did with the NES and SNES Classic, I just left those options at the default so that it looks closest to what I remember.

As for the games? Well, that's up to you. There are plenty to choose from, double the amount on the SNES Classic (exactly double, in fact) and there are some incredible titles in here. One highlight is Mega Man: The Wily Wars, which was an exclusive to Sega's dial-in online service back in the day, but is now available to everyone here. And like top 10 lists, some people will hate what was included, some will love them. There are some strange omissions, but the games included here are generally fantastic, and there's something for everyone who isn't a sports fan at least (NHL 94 dominated the Genesis and isn't included here? For shame!)

My only complaints are...

I love the games on this thing, but there are a few glaring omissions. But I don't envy the people who had to put this together, and I've had this complaint about every mini so far.

The lack of rewind, but with save states that isn't a requirement, though it would have been nice.

The lack of 6-button controllers. At least this is fixable with a separate purchase, but Street Fighter II for instance is a mess with 3-button controllers. Playable, but much less comfortably.

It's $80, which isn't cheap, but if you like the games included this is a no-brainer. Everything from the design of the Mini itself to the software choices and the tight emulation shows a real attention to detail, and wins over Nintendo in some key ways, to a point where I'd say it's the better device. I certainly wouldn't bet on this game list vs the SNES Classic, even if they do win in quantity, but the loving detail to every facet of the presentation is quite nice to see.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/23/2019 at 11:15pm

Do you notice any audio lag? I have read some reports about some lag.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/24/2019 at 12:18am

I had some lag issues but they were TV related. I was ready to cast this aside as a waste of money until I remembered I hadn’t set game mode on that HDMI port. But no, after I fixed that I played some fast games and didn’t notice any input lag at least. But I may not have been paying attention to audio lag.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/24/2019 at 01:49am

Cool. I think I have that "cheap AtGames device." I remember buying it at Kroger (local grocery store for those unaware) years ago. I didn't really play it very much though. So, it comes with an HDMI port? That's cool! I have a Sega collection on Steam, but again I haven't really played it very much. I doubt it's included, but Jurassic Park was one of my favorite Sega games.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/24/2019 at 02:15am

That's correct, JP isn't on it. I imagine some of those licensed games are tough to get.

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Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 66: Stranger Things 3

In this episode of Cheerful Ghost Radio, we're visiting

uʍoᗡ ǝpısd∩ ǝɥ⊥

As we review Netflix's Stranger Things 3!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/24/2019 at 10:44pm

Oh man, I disagree with this episode.

While I do love each season, I feel each season is slightly inferior to the last.

Season 1 captured magic in a bottle. It was the start of something special and you didn't know where they were going.

Season 2 had some great character development and moments, but some pacing problems.

Season 3 lost the majority of that character development and became more popcorny. It was enjoyable but I felt that it didn't move the characters from point A to B very much. That being said, the way the ended the season gave me a lot of hope for the next season.

Also season 3 had once of the worst scenes I have ever seen that ground the show to a halt. While it was good on its own, it really screwed up the pacing and should have been edited down.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/25/2019 at 03:22am

Which scene was that? I assume you didn’t mention it for spoiler purposes but I’m curious, if you can word it in a non-spoilery way.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/25/2019 at 04:11am

It involved singing. Still makes me cringe.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/25/2019 at 04:07pm

Ah. I thought it was hilarious. Cringey yeah but also hilarious.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/25/2019 at 04:23pm

On it’s own it was great, but it ground that episode to a halt.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/26/2019 at 02:23am

I'm gonna watch the whole show again at some point to get more context for this, or an updated point of view.

That said, if memory serves I thought season one suffered from the issue where I felt like many early Netflix shows suffered from in that they were two episodes too long.

Might not be totally how I think now but it was then so when I do a rewatch i'll note that again. I thought Season 2 and 3 nailed the pacing but I like popcorn

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/30/2019 at 04:39pm

Yo: https://twitter.com/Stranger_Things/status/1178701041333886976

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/30/2019 at 05:00pm

Hyped! More upside down please! I would get into what I want to see, but I am avoiding spoilers.

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Cheerful Ghost Radio Now On Spotify!

We want you to be able to listen to Cheerful Ghost Radio on whichever platform you choose, so today we're happy to share that Cheerful Ghost Radio is now on Spotify!

Spotify used to have a more curated podcast section and was a bit exclusive, but they are trying to make Spotify the go-to for podcast listening and have changed things up. We're happy to add Spotify to our growing list of services. It's one more step on our path to WORLD DOMINATI.... I mean one more way to make our listeners happy! Yep, that's what I meant.

Have a listen at the link below, and as always, let us know if your favorite podcast source doesn't have Cheerful Ghost Radio and we will work to get it there.

https://open.spotify.com/show/44EXCqrSPKxPfgEhzor6OT?si=lcK0bCS4RnumhF8w0enrrQ

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 65: Spider-Man Far From Home

In this episode, we've all returned from the snap and wondering what the heck has happened over the past five years, as we review Spider-Man: Far From Home!

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/13/2019 at 11:04pm

Good episode chaps! Seems like it was recorded before Sony & Marvel braking up and D23 and there was a lot of material left out around D+ and Spider-Man.

As for MCU Fatigue, it started for me around Civil War. I still enjoyed the movies but they were becoming a little too formulaic. After Spider-Man: Homecoming (which has to be one of my favorite MCU movies) the fatigue went away. I have been really looking forward to the movies since.

I am even excited for Black Widow. The prequel aspect has me a little worried, but Marvel has handled their properties well (even the bad movies are still watchable) that I am not too worried.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/14/2019 at 05:05pm

Yeah we didn’t know Spider-Man was out then and the future looked bright.... But now... I’m honestly curious how they will handle Spider-Man post MCU. All the Villians seem like they still be valid and Spider-Man might be on his own now which the end of the movie set up fairly well.

I wonder if he’ll refer to Tony in the new films or just someone he lost? Also curious how they’ll talk about the blip?

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/14/2019 at 06:14pm

Will they make him give the glasses back?

A bigger question is that since Spider-Man is out of the MCU does it make the new movies must see anymore?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/15/2019 at 03:27am

I think the next one is still must-see. Tom Holland is my favorite live action Spidey so far, and I want to see him do more. Even if the plot doesn’t intersect with the MCU.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/15/2019 at 06:03pm

I am a hold out until the trailer hits. Maybe they will patch things up by the time the movie gets made.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/15/2019 at 07:22pm

Also it's interesting you mentioned Civil War as the first sign of fatigue for you, and I think that was my first as well. It's also where I started getting tired of rewatching it earlier this year. But they definitely brought me back in. Homecoming was at that time my favorite Spider-Man movie ever but it still hit me with some fatigue from the baggage that came along with it from Civil War. But then Thor: Ragnarok brought me back in full swing.

I'm really glad they're taking almost a full year off from the films at least.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/15/2019 at 08:21pm

I think the break should help.

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The Latest Final Fantasy VII Remake Trailer Is Gorgeous

I mean just look at it.

Wow, this is hard. I am trying not to get overhyped but the more we see of the FFVII remake, the harder that gets.

In this trailer, we get a glimpse of a few of the mini games, and more battle footage. But mostly, it’s just showing off how pretty everything is. And boy is it ever.

Graphics aren’t everything, you have to have gameplay to keep it interesting. We haven’t seen a lot of that. But even if the gameplay isn’t fun, this might like one of those movies that’s just pure schlock but worth buying because of the visuals.

This has been a day-one buy for me ever since the rumors started circulating like the year the PS3 came out. Before I bought a PS3, I said I would buy a PS3 for this game. I drooled over that tech demo Square did for a Sony presentation and hoped every year that we’d get more info.

It took a while, but shockingly we are only six months away. The hype is real, no matter how hard I try to suppress it.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/11/2019 at 04:47pm

That looks awesome! I don't think I'm going to buy a PS4 though, so I hope it comes to PC. I look forward to reading your review of it.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 09/11/2019 at 05:55pm

I would buy a PS4 for this probably but honestly I would have done the same for a lot of PS4 exclusives. It’s an amazing console with so many bucket list titles.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/11/2019 at 07:05pm

I'm not familiar with very many titles I'm interested, although I'm about to contradict that a bit. I think I'd like to try this one, although I'm not entirely sure how I feel about it. There's also the new Kingdom Hearts game and remasters of all the others. I know it seems Spider-Man is good, too. Red Dead Redemption 2 is something I might enjoy as well. I don't know, for some reason I've been focusing so much on PC gaming that I've pretty much almost totally ignored console gaming. Plus, I've already started seeing news of the PS5, so it kind of feels like you have to buy a new console every few years. Although, that could probably be said about a GPU when it comes to PC gaming and they can be as expensive or more depending on what you want.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/11/2019 at 07:07pm

Oh and I must admit I really love Aerith here, she is absolutely gorgeous! I've always loved her and Tifa.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 02/15/2020 at 09:12am

The opening gives me chills! Aerith is so beautiful! I hope this comes to PC. https://youtu.be/cqskSeNORoE

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 04/07/2020 at 05:30am

Gaming Bolt gives the game a perfect 10! https://youtu.be/U6ilUU_qROY

jdodson Admin wrote on 04/07/2020 at 03:08pm

I'll give it a 10/10 simply for being released. Figured this would be like Duke Nukem forever.

adahn Super Member wrote on 04/07/2020 at 05:39pm

I played the demo (I'm sure ya'll did too), and man, its Good ... I don't love the new combat system, but the "Classic" mode is perfect.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 04/07/2020 at 07:25pm

I don't have a PS4, so I'm hoping it comes to PC.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 04/07/2020 at 07:48pm

I actually skipped the demo on this entirely. I am aware that it's not the safe play to make, but I gambled on it possibly sucking really badly so that I can go in fully fresh when it arrives.

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 04/22/2020 at 04:50am

They showed my comment at the beginning of the video in the top right!!! https://youtu.be/9HNHCQ396r8

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Wear Your Love For Cheerful Ghost and Tale of the White Wyvern On Your Sleeve... Literally!

You want some swag? Who doesn't want swag? We've just launched the Cheerful Ghost Zazzle shop, where you can get shirts and mugs for Tale of the White Wyvern.

We have two Tale mugs to choose from-- one black text on a white mug, and the other with the full purple/teal/fuchsia color scheme you know and love from the game. We call this the "Janky AF Version" because, the way the Zazzle printing works... it looks a little janky. But we love it and hope you do too.

As for Tale shirts, you can choose the classic black shirt with white text, a black shirt with white/teal/fuchsia text, or the super special purple shirt with white/teal/fuchsia text!

We gave you some options here because these shirts are a bit pricey and we wanted to provide some options. The only shirt Zazzle had available with the right color to match our Tale Purple (we're trying to get Crayola to make that an official color) was the American Apparel shirt, which makes the price jump significantly.

We know these on-demand clothing shops are all a little pricey, so we are taking the lowest possible percentage. We'll make around $1.50 per shirt, so if 8 or 10 of our active users want to buy around.... oh, twenty thousand of these shirts, we can quit our jobs and do this full time!

Seriously though, this is a no-risk way to gauge interest in official swag, so let us know what you think about the items we have up, and what else you might want to see. Zazzle has an intimidating number of products available, so if you want Cheerful Ghost napkins or Tale of the White Wyvern coasters, let us know.

You can find our shop by hitting the shopping cart icon in our nav above, following the link from the membership page, or following this link.

https://www.zazzle.com/store/cheerful_ghost?rf=238477436852498752&tc=238477436852498752

If you haven't played Tale of the White Wyvern yet, head over to https://thewhitewyvern.com/ now to play for free!

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/06/2019 at 04:06am

What Travis failed to mention is that he means buy 20k shirts and things per month! That would be super.

Seriously, happy we finally have this so I can rep the game I made. I know it's a bit self aggrandizing but I never thought it be able to buy a shirt for a game I made. Maybe you might like it too? It's possible, that said, I'll always have one and I'm really happy about that.

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/06/2019 at 04:08am

ALSO Zazzle has, seemingly, endless 15% off and other codes so if you want to save now, you can. I imagine they will have more and if they do we'll let you know if the stuff dips to a price you'd rather pull the trigger on.

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/06/2019 at 04:35am

Thank you for naming a version after me!

AdamPFarnsworth wrote on 09/06/2019 at 04:38am

Those are rad shirts. I appreciate the simple DOS design! And the purple looks pretty great :)

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/06/2019 at 04:50am

Ordered a shirt. You better put that $1.50 to good use!

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/06/2019 at 05:43am

Done and done!

Azurephile Super Member wrote on 09/06/2019 at 06:04am

There's the announcement I was waiting for! I noticed the new icon and hit Jon up w/ a message.

Will_Ball Game Mod Super Member wrote on 09/07/2019 at 06:22pm

Jon, has your kid made my shirt yet?

jdodson Admin wrote on 09/07/2019 at 07:35pm

I don't know but apparently he made mine because it just shipped!

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Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 64: Super Mario Maker 2

We've built a new episode of Cheerful Ghost Radio and we can't wait for you to play it. In this episode we review Super Mario Maker 2 on the Nintendo Switch!

Travis4

547 Posts

The Analogue Pocket Wants My $200, Will Probably Get It

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 68: Sayonara Dragon Link

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 67: The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening For Nintendo Switch

The Sega Genesis Mini Review: GENESIS DOES WHAT NINTENDID BUT MAYBE BETTER

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 66: Stranger Things 3

Cheerful Ghost Radio Now On Spotify!

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 65: Spider-Man Far From Home

The Latest Final Fantasy VII Remake Trailer Is Gorgeous

Wear Your Love For Cheerful Ghost and Tale of the White Wyvern On Your Sleeve... Literally!

Cheerful Ghost Radio Episode 64: Super Mario Maker 2