Prefer to buy or just play a game?

Shelcoof · Post by **Shelcoof** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:32 am

With the recent barrage of shooters that are coming out soon (ie 360), this leaves me with a hard decision on whether or not to invest in a system just for a couple of games or not. Games like Otomedius G and Raiden Fighters Aces is making it hard for me to resist but at the same time not sure if it is worth going through all the trouble for them. I’m a fan of the Parodius series and no questions asked, I will get Otomedius if I got the chance. Raiden Fighters is available on MAME but I’m willing to pick it up to add into my collection.

Now I like buying and owning most of the games I really enjoy, especially shmups the replay value for them are extremely high. I also like to support the developers along with owning a work of their art (in my opinion games are also an artwork composed of many different elements). I’ll even buy a game that I really like even if I don’t own the actual system.

A good example of this is Panzer Dragoon Orta, I love this game along with the previous instalments but I wouldn’t buy an Xbox just for this one game. I did however, buy the original game and I borrowed a friend’s Xbox just to play it. I still own and treasure this game even if I don’t get to play it at all (I actually own two copies one sealed and one to play). Still keep it in my collection and am willing to play it again if I get the chance of course. I only keep games I enjoy in my collection anything else gets tossed out. I would never keep a game or buy a game based on rarity or how much people value it.

Now how do you feel? I know many people love MAME because it’s easily accessible and a lot of excellent games like Progear and many more are playable but haven’t been ported for home console yet. Even if they did port the games MAME stays true to its arcade form and it’s a hell of a lot cheaper to play games on MAME than it is to buy the originals.

So the question is do you prefer owning an original hardcopy of the game? Or are you satisfied with just playing the game on MAME, backup or any sort of other emulation?

I’m sure if they ported a game like Progear onto console there will be individuals like myself who would go out of the way to buy and own the game just because it’s just that good.

FatCobra · Post by **FatCobra** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:55 am

Although I do like buying the game, I rather just play them. I love emulation because it allows games to "ascend" from their propitiatory consoles, cartridges, and/or discs, and can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of richness/poorness, region, or other reasons.

I like Piracy because I can try pc games before buying them, and more often than not nowadays, the pirate versions are better than the retail ones because they strip all the DRM crap out.

Elixir · Post by **Elixir** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 3:10 am

Buy.

Download if I'm skeptical, then buy if I like.

Shelcoof · Post by **Shelcoof** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:00 am

I agree with both you guys, honestly though if I bought every game I wanted I would be flat broke. And there's so much junk out there that could be avoided if you tried the game first.

My point of view is long as your paying for some of the stuff it's okay but if your pirating everything and anything that's just wrong.

I agree strongly about how emulation allows people to enjoy games out there. I meet a lot of collectors who never touch their game but go on and on bragging about how they own this and that. Really though the only reason why they have it in their collection is because of its value and rarity. They own it for the wrong reasons.

That's where MAME comes in where people who love playing get a chance to play these great games. Those who appreciate it enough go out and buy a copy of it at least.

If it wasn't for MAME I would have never gotten the chance to play Progears

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 4:49 am

i play stuff on mame on occasion.....but its not the same as the PCB ...progear and esprade are prime examples....play the pcb and then play it in mame...very different....

i try to buy games i like enough to put time into.....

and with newer stuff i want to buy to help support the devs

i find the main problem with mame is its so overwhelming......you dont tend to focus on anything for long enough to truly appreciate it....just jumping from one game to the next

ive found since i started collecting pcb's i focus on games, and i appreciate them more.....

and it saves waiting a decade or so for the newer cave titles to be emulated (if ever)

and as for piracy.....with older systems years out of development i think its ok to a degree.....its not taking money away from the devs...but i think its pretty bad to pirate current stuff...especially niche stuff like shmups.....

if we, the real fans, dont support it, the devs will simply stop making them.....and they arent moving massive numbers like 'X FPS' or whatever, so every copy somebody downloads(without buying a copy after) is money out of the devs pockets

thats just my point of view tho....im sure others here might disagree

Ganelon · Post by **Ganelon** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:04 am

I buy the games I want and then play them how they were meant to be played without any funky emulator glitches, off music, and incorrect speed. I'll even take the extra loading times for accuracy.

Still, I don't mind at all people being able to try games by pirating so long as it's done on the usual "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Dale · Post by **Dale** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:14 am

Ganelon wrote:I buy the games I want and then play them how they were meant to be played without any funky emulator glitches, off music, and incorrect speed. I'll even take the extra loading times for accuracy.

Almost seems like nowadays that the mame folks are doing better emulation then the people doing console ports. TaitoLegends 1 and 2 had very smooshed images on verts and no scanlines, Growl was 2 player with no gore. SNK classics had slowdown on many of its games. Mame almost always has better controller options and layout options(although a tad annoying at times). Plus save states, restart, graphical adjustments are at your finger tips.

Mame can have it's perks.

BrianC · Post by **BrianC** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:56 am

Dale wrote:TaitoLegends 1 and 2 had very smooshed images on verts and no scanlines, Growl was 2 player with no gore. SNK classics had slowdown on many of its games.

The squished graphics in Taito Legends 1 and 2 for vertical games are optional. There's an option in a menu for both games for something like "original aspect ratio". These games were different for PS2, as well.

PS2 TL2 is different from PC and Xbox. Some games in TL2 PS2 have issues like input that doesn't act right and slowdown that aren't in other versions of the collection, or the original arcade games. PC version uses older MAME ROMs, some of which have some minor issues (Elevator Action Returns doesn't display the lighting properly).

Taito Legends 1 is similar to the Xbox and PC versions, but is a weak port with frame skipping issues and games that run at low frame rates. I compared the Xbox and PS2 versions and I noticed some frame skipping in odd places in Bubble Bobble and Rastan for PS2, but didn't notice any on Xbox. The games seemed to run smoother on Xbox as well.

I heard SNK Classics PS2 is the one with the slowdown and that the PSP and Wii versions don't have the issues.

Back on topic, I usually buy games I want to play. I also like to play games that are free like Cave Story, Blue Wish Resurrection, and ChoRenSha. I own some official emulated collections, but I prefer the real thing over emulation. Playing MM2 in s-video with some blurry graphics is just not the same as playing it on the real NES.

Shelcoof · Post by **Shelcoof** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 7:26 am

jonny5 wrote: i find the main problem with mame is its so overwhelming......you dont tend to focus on anything for long enough to truly appreciate it....just jumping from one game to the next

I agree, even though I own a lot of very good games I rarely get the chance to give them all a good go, there's just too little time to enjoy everything and appreciate them all.

Having a large collection of games is too easy to miss some of the really good stuff. Sometimes when I have time I'll break out a game I bought but never get around to it (some games aren't played until years later at times) and I'd be kicking myself because I'd realize how great the game was and think why didn't I play it sooner.

jonny5 wrote:i play stuff on mame on occasion.....but its not the same as the PCB ...progear and esprade are prime examples....play the pcb and then play it in mame...very different....

I know what you mean. This may not be the same as MAME vs the actual PCB but when I play my SNES on my TV with original controller, the experience is different. I actually enjoy playing the original cart with the SNES hooked up to the TV.

neorichieb1971 · Post by **neorichieb1971** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:28 am

I buy the occasional brand new game. But I prefer to buy stuff thats likely to hold its value. For shooters, i'd rather buy at release or when the title ebays for $200, because usually you don't lose out if you don't like it.

I understand not alot of people can afford to use my logic though.

ED-057 · Post by **ED-057** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:31 am

I don't really see the point of consoles anymore. PCs used to suck for games but now (as of the current millenium) they don't. So why should I buy more multi-hundred-dollar boxes to play games on? I'm going to keep upgrading my PC anyway and if I spend the same amount of money on that as I would have on consoles I'll end up with better specs too.

So yeah I'm into the buy games/support the creators idea, but not buying redundant machines and going out of my way to get import goods, having to bypass region locks, etc.

neorichieb1971 · Post by **neorichieb1971** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 8:40 am

ED-057 wrote:I don't really see the point of consoles anymore. PCs used to suck for games but now (as of the current millenium) they don't. So why should I buy more multi-hundred-dollar boxes to play games on? I'm going to keep upgrading my PC anyway and if I spend the same amount of money on that as I would have on consoles I'll end up with better specs too.

So yeah I'm into the buy games/support the creators idea, but not buying redundant machines and going out of my way to get import goods, having to bypass region locks, etc.

I would rather have a console do what a PC does. I can't stand playing a videogame on a PC. Its just so 80's.

ED-057 · Post by **ED-057** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 9:18 am

neorichieb1971 wrote:Its just so 80's.

On the one hand, I disagree. On the other hand, the 80's kicked ass

elfhentaifan · Post by **elfhentaifan** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 10:10 am

i'd never play mame/emu to test a game.
Either youtoube/SDA, or get a illegal copy (demo preferred though), or in most of the case is i buy it (and then dont play

)

nimitz · Post by **nimitz** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 12:14 pm

I would rather have a console do what a PC does. I can't stand playing a videogame on a PC. Its just so 80's.

We reached a point where it doesn't make any difference. If you want low-res you can use the s-video out(which pretty much all video cards have) OR you plug your in your digital tv in your pc for high res, you can also have every controller avaible for your pc.

Mortificator · Post by **Mortificator** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:01 pm

What really pisses me off are the people who watch movies on DVD, or Blu-ray, or Devil-ray, or whatever the hell you call it. That's not how they were MEANT TO BE SEEN, you dirty bastards! The CREATORS made them for theaters! Do you think you're somehow entitled to watch them just because you're too cheap to go out and buy your own projector and reels? You're not watching the real movie, only a vastly inferior copy, probably in a window on your computer while you jack-off to furry porn.

Every time you watch Raiders of the Lost Ark on disk you're shitting in Steven Spielberg's mouth.

Octopod · Post by **Octopod** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:11 pm

I like buying games but i am not opposed to emulation or downloading.

D · Post by D » Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:29 pm

Mortificator wrote:What really pisses me off are the people who watch movies on DVD, or Blu-ray, or Devil-ray, or whatever the hell you call it. That's not how they were MEANT TO BE SEEN, you dirty bastards! The CREATORS made them for theaters! Do you think you're somehow entitled to watch them just because you're too cheap to go out and buy your own projector and reels? You're not watching the real movie, only a vastly inferior copy, probably in a window on your computer while you jack-off to furry porn.

Every time you watch Raiders of the Lost Ark on disk you're shitting in Steven Spielberg's mouth.

+1, I hear ya.

gabe · Post by **gabe** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 2:49 pm

Shelcoof wrote:
jonny5 wrote: i find the main problem with mame is its so overwhelming......you dont tend to focus on anything for long enough to truly appreciate it....just jumping from one game to the next
I agree, even though I own a lot of very good games I rarely get the chance to give them all a good go, there's just too little time to enjoy everything and appreciate them all.

Having a large collection of games is too easy to miss some of the really good stuff. Sometimes when I have time I'll break out a game I bought but never get around to it (some games aren't played until years later at times) and I'd be kicking myself because I'd realize how great the game was and think why didn't I play it sooner.

+1

I have several titles sitting on my shelf that are still in their shrink wrap.

I like physically owning things - especially games. To the extent that I don't even like paying for downloadable content. Something about it doesn't feel "real."

I never sell games or records anymore. I consider my collections to be a library, or archive.

I emulate games from time to time, but if given the opportunity, I would much rather play it on it's original format - the way it was meant to be played.

croikle · Post by **croikle** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 3:31 pm

I'm a cheap bastard, and I don't actually own any game systems, so for me it's emulation all the way. I can see how playing on the original hardware could be appealing, though.

jonny5 · Post by **jonny5** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:07 pm

nimitz wrote: We reached a point where it doesn't make any difference. If you want low-res you can use the s-video out(which pretty much all video cards have) OR you plug your in your digital tv in your pc for high res, you can also have every controller avaible for your pc.

ya but calling s-video low res

...maybe low quality anyways....s-video and 15khz rgb are VERY different....and as for using various controllers on your PC...mostly through USB=input lag

Shelcoof · Post by **Shelcoof** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:30 pm

Mortificator wrote:What really pisses me off are the people who watch movies on DVD, or Blu-ray, or Devil-ray, or whatever the hell you call it. That's not how they were MEANT TO BE SEEN, you dirty bastards! The CREATORS made them for theaters! Do you think you're somehow entitled to watch them just because you're too cheap to go out and buy your own projector and reels? You're not watching the real movie, only a vastly inferior copy, probably in a window on your computer while you jack-off to furry porn.

Every time you watch Raiders of the Lost Ark on disk you're shitting in Steven Spielberg's mouth.

lol I found this post to be hilarious.

I agree nothing beats watching a movie in the theaters but there are old classics that you'll never get a chance to go see at a local theater like the old Star Wars movies or Conan the Barbarian. Even if you have the money you may not have the time

2nd best solution to that is set up your own mini theater at home and buy or rent the DVD/BlueRay/Devil Format and try to enjoy it as best as possible. Sure doesn't beat out the genuine theater experience but it's better than nothing

Twiddle · Post by **Twiddle** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:39 pm

Mortificator wrote:What really pisses me off are the people who watch movies on DVD, or Blu-ray, or Devil-ray, or whatever the hell you call it. That's not how they were MEANT TO BE SEEN, you dirty bastards! The CREATORS made them for theaters! Do you think you're somehow entitled to watch them just because you're too cheap to go out and buy your own projector and reels? You're not watching the real movie, only a vastly inferior copy, probably in a window on your computer while you jack-off to furry porn.

Every time you watch Raiders of the Lost Ark on disk you're shitting in Steven Spielberg's mouth.

i can't find how this is a seriouspost

gabe · Post by **gabe** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 5:48 pm

Twiddle wrote:
Mortificator wrote:What really pisses me off are the people who watch movies on DVD, or Blu-ray, or Devil-ray, or whatever the hell you call it. That's not how they were MEANT TO BE SEEN, you dirty bastards! The CREATORS made them for theaters! Do you think you're somehow entitled to watch them just because you're too cheap to go out and buy your own projector and reels? You're not watching the real movie, only a vastly inferior copy, probably in a window on your computer while you jack-off to furry porn.

Every time you watch Raiders of the Lost Ark on disk you're shitting in Steven Spielberg's mouth.
i can't find how this is a seriouspost

I'm about 99.9% sure it wasn't.

I do find it pretty damn funny though, and it does a good job of making a point.

jpj · Post by **jpj** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:39 pm

technology is moving a lot quicker than the mame team are.

there seems to be a lot of good stuff coming to the 360. if you can afford it, i say indulge yourself

gabe · Post by **gabe** » Thu Nov 20, 2008 6:51 pm

jpj wrote:technology is moving a lot quicker than the mame team are.

there seems to be a lot of good stuff coming to the 360. if you can afford it, i say indulge yourself

Ferris: It is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.