Websites, software, games, fads, memes, or any general happenings that used to occur or had originated on computers 20+ years ago.
This community is software and internet focused. For retro hardware discussion try !retrocomputing@lemmy.sdf.org
Some Cool Links
Classic Websites: Random Page / Search Engine
cool-retro-term: terminal emulator mimicing old cathode displays
Neocities: webhost homage to Geocities
Webamp / Webamp Desktop / Skin Library: cross-platform re-implementation of Winamp 2.9
Advertising in the 90s was something else.
I remember seeing this in PC Gamer in 1997 or 1998 and getting pumped.
Side note, I have a full collection of US PC Gamer issues, 1994-2000. I wonder if there's any interest in HD scans?
Voice over: the thing is, kids, he really, really didn't... He didn't in a spectacular fashion. He didn't so hard that he unbitched a few people who were already critically bitched.
I enjoyed Daikatana.
The first episode was very, very, very mediocre - with it's excessive green hue, annoying buzzing enemies, and lack of titular Daikatana.
The rest of the game was decent though, and dare I say good in places - and it had a fairly atmospheric soundtrack too. Episodes 2 and 3 were by far the best middle two quarters of the game.
It's a shame that it left such a poor impression at the start, the AI at launch was in a shit state, and the game-breaking bug on the penultimate mission at launch was unforgivable really.
If anyone's ever at a loss for what to play and see Daikatana on offer - then honestly grab it, get the community-made 1.3 patch, and try the game beyond the first two or three hours. It's not an amazing game by any means but it's reputation is generally perpetuated by people who have played twenty minutes and thought "lol green frog enemies everywhere!!!" , or saw the game on a list of bad games and went in with a Debbie Downer mentality to begin with.
If you're really keen, then the multiplayer still has a hardcore fanbase, and it's probably the closest "pure" deathmatch experience there is to QuakeWorld.
The N64 version was horrible though and is like playing while looking through the bottom of a pasta sauce jar. Weirdly, the Game Boy Colour version was actually good!
I was definitely in the "played less than an hour" boat. Believe I got the demo from PC gamer, tried it (after reading a lot of the backlash) and never really gave it a chance. Based on your comment, I may have to correct that.
Yeah it's worth it. Don't expect a world class game - I'd put it into the same category as FEAR 3 (I refuse to use it's stylised name), TimeShift, Black, and Perfect Dark Zero. Competent shooters, but utterly unremarkable - a decent way to waste a few hours and nothing more.
The Daikatana itself is a nice addition to the game, and can be powered up 2thaMAX (literally) by around ep3, and it makes you feel like an utter badass if you've spent the time to level it up
Just remember to bring a coffee and a snack for the opening cutscene. It almost makes Oppenheimer look like a trailer. It's unnecessarily loooooong.
Have fun!
I feel bad for John Romero. He was apparently not stoked about this add campaign.
It was also very premature. By the time it actually released, the hype had died. And was replaced with disappointment.
I wonder if there's any interest in HD scans?
Yes, a million times yes. Put them up on Archive.org and share the wealth of 90's geekery.
I think I'll start researching and pricing scanners. I probably wouldn't get around to it until springtime, but I will open a community here on lemmy.sdf.org when I do and start posting.
Additionally, I also have a near complete set of the demo discs that came with the issues. I've already ripped them to .ISO. I should probably get those up on Archive.org.
If you do end up scanning the magazines please post it. That would be a great trip down memory lane!
I especially like how this ad captures the silly edginess going on at the time.
That's quite a collection.
I've got a real problem lol.
I also have a huge retro console and handheld collection. A 300+ LaserDisc collection, and 3 decks. Probably 200+ VHS, and 4 decks. A small camcorder collection, and some rackmount Teac hi8 decks, because I really like filming in hi8. An unspeakable amount of modern and retro computing gear. Etc, etc, so forth.
I basically have a curated museum, all delicately taken care of.
That's pretty good. Are all those PC magazines ones you've owned since they were released or did you buy them all at once?
I had a smallish collection as kid and into my teens, which is when I developed my nostalgia for the publication. However those are long lost to the recycle bin.
My current collection was put together piece by piece while watching ebay like a hawk, and keeping a spreadsheet of what issues I already had, what condition they were in, and if I was satisfied with said condition.
I did the same for the demo CDs, and the actual floppy disks they included in 1994. That collection still isn't complete, the floppies in particular are hard to find.
That's pretty awesome.