It’s been a while since we posted an entry in our featured video game fan art series.  However, I would like to features some additional pieces, but thought I would ask the wonderful Racketboy community which series or characters they would like to see highlighted.  Now, I realize some large franchises aren’t featured in this poll or been highlighted previously, but I’d like to focus on a few options at this time (I asked to community earlier for nominations).  Lemme know what you think!

BTW: If you would like to participate in other community feedback and other happenings, check out our Twitter profile, Facebook page, and Forum.

When you add a console to your collection, the first thing you want to do is get a handful of games to keep you busy with your new toy. However, most of us can’t spend afford to spend fat pile of cash for a few games. This budget-friendly list should help you quickly find which games will start you off well without emptying your wallet.   Since the SNES is quickly growing with nostolgic collectors, it’s getting harder to find real values in the SNES market.   However, as long as you don’t mind skipping the harder-to-find cardboard boxes for the games, you can find these classics for $10 or less.  (Prices listed are an average eBay price for US cartridge-only games, including shipping)

Check Out The Rest of the Best Cheap Retro Games

Cheap Classics

	Super Mario World: $10 The massive follow-up to the Super Mario Bros series on the NES is not only the most popular SNES games, but is also one of the greatest platforming games of all time. With numerous levels full of color and creativity, Super Mario World is well worth its low price of admission. Shop for Super Mario World on eBay Shop for Super Mario World on Amazon.com
	F-Zero: $6 Serving as an early showcase of the Super Nintendo’s superior graphical power, F-Zero remained one of the best 2D racing games of all time. Some old-school gamers still prefer it to its newer siblings on the N64 and Gamecube due to its great course designs and balanced gameplay. Shop for F-Zero on eBay Shop for F-Zero on Amazon.com
	Cybernator: $6 Cybernator (aka Assault Suits Valken in Japan) game is an intense side-scrolling, mech shooter that takes you through a steep difficulty curve. In this shmup, your ‘Assault Suit’ can jump, thrust, dash, punch and use various weapons to do your damage. Control is great (but different) with a real ‘chunky robot’ feel. Cybernator boasts many original features and the mode 7 explosions throughout are huge, frequently filling the screen. Shop for Cybernator on eBay Shop for Cybernator on Amazon.com
	Uniracers: $8 Uniracers takes the speed and competitive nature of traditional racing games and mix in the tricks and showmanship that was eventually made popular in the Tony Hawk series. The result is one of the most unique and underrated games of the 16-bit era. Shop for Uniracers on eBay Shop for Uniracers on Amazon.com
	Pilotwings: $5 If you are looking to take flight, why not take a look at Pilotwings. In classic Nintendo fashion, Pilotwings takes a previously complicated genre (flight simulators) and make them more accessible to the casual player while enhancing the fun. Pilotwings features a variety of aircrafts and will teach you how to lots of cool tricks. The original SNES version holds up quite well and is a great showpiece for the Super Nintendo console. Shop for Pilotwings on eBay Shop for Pilotwings on Amazon.com
	Star Fox: $6 The original in the shoot-em-up series is still a classic showpiece for the SNES. Star Fox’s combination of dramatic shooting action and quirky characters served as a winning formula for a treasured franchise. Of course, the SNES original shows its age more than it’s N64 sibling, but its dirt cheap and a great piece of gaming nostolgia. If only the Gamecube Star Fox games had as much shooting action as the original. Shop for Star Fox on eBay Shop for Star Fox on Amazon.com
	Killer Instinct: $6 In the midst of Street Fighter-mania, Nintendo and Rare created a new fighting franchise that had a 3D in order to give it a cutting-edge look. Killer Instinct had some unique elements and a great deal of character that made it a fan favorite in the Nintendo crowd. As one of the cheapest Nintendo-published classics, it is worth a small handful of dollars to add solid piece to a Super Nintendo library. Shop for Killer Instinct on eBay Shop for Killer Instinct on Amazon.com
	Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts: $8 If you like a lot of fast action and frustratingly challenging gameplay that somehow beckons you to keep playing, you won’t find a better value on the SNES than Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts. Super Ghouls n Ghosts has stood the test of time in every respect and is a genre-defining piece of work to boot. Shop for Super Ghouls n Ghosts on eBay Shop for Super Ghouls n Ghosts on Amazon.com
	Plok: $6 As one of the best exclusive SNES platformers not from Nintendo, Plok definately is worth the investment if you like running and jumping. It’s a great representation of 16-bit gaming and is a title that is often overlooked. Shop for Plok on eBay Shop for Plok on Amazon.com
	Super Game Boy: $7 This isn’t actually a game, but the Super Gameboy is an add-on to your Super Nintendo that lets you play your original Gameboy and Gameboy Color games on your SNES. There are still a number of great Gameboy games out there that can expand your library. I’ll be developing a list of good-n-cheap Gameboy games as well, so you can stock up. Shop for Super Gameboy on eBay Shop for Super Gameboy on Amazon.com
	Tetris Attack: $10 Tetris Attack doesn’t really have much to do with Tetris other than it is a block-based puzzle game. However, I must say it is just as addicting and fulfilling as the original. While you may find some cheaper puzzle games (like Kirby’s Avalanche – see below), Tetris Attack remains the best value. Shop for Tetris Attack on eBay Shop for Tetris Attack on Amazon.com
	The Lion King: $7 The 16-bit actually had a good handful of well-made licensed Disney platforming games and The Lion King is one of the best on the Super Nintendo.   It’s solid platforming and wonderful animation make it one of the most enjoyable Disney-based games of all time.   It’s hard for gamers of all ages not to love this one. Shop for The Lion King on eBay Shop for The Lion King on Amazon.com
	Out of This World (Another World): $5 This cinematic platformer was one of the most innovative and influencial games of its day and remains a solid classic.  Originally released on the Amiga and other personal computer platforms, Out of This World has a fresh style compared to most SNES games.  Weighing in at only $5, this gem is one of the best values on the SNES. Shop for Out of This World on eBay Shop for Out of This World on Amazon.com
	Flashback: The Quest for Identity: $6 Touted as a “CD-ROM Game on a Cartridge”, Flashback: The Quest for Identity was one of the most graphically impressive console games in its day (it was ported from the Amiga). The game features fully hand-drawn backdrops and for its time remarkably fluid rotoscoped animation of walking, running and jumping movements, reminiscent of the earlier Prince of Persia.   It’s also worth mentioning that although very similar in a number of ways to Out of This World, Flashback isn’t really a sequel. Shop for Flashback: The Quest for Identity on eBay Shop for Flashback: The Quest for Identity on Amazon.com
	Phantom 2040: $4 With prices of high-profile SNES games on the rise, it can be quite a challenge to find the amazing Super Metroid for under $10.  However, if you would like some Metroid-like action (without the high production values and depth)  for a fraction of the price (or just want an under-appreciated action title), Phantom 2040 is a wonderful choice. Shop for Phantom 2040 on eBay Shop for Phantom 2040 on Amazon.com
	Super Turrican: $9 If you’re looking for another action shooter on the cheap, you should be able to find Super Turrican for under $10.  Super Turrican finds itself an enjoyable compromise between the run and gun styling of a Contra game and the more open experience of a Metroid title.  I suppose you could also consider the Turrican games to be  like a Western-developed Mega Man, (minus the fun and memorable bosses). Shop for Super Turrican on eBay Shop for Super Turrican on Amazon.com

Presented by Zen Albatross

Tiny bagels and pots of hot coffee wait patiently on a fold-out table in a a small classroom on the southeast end of New York University campus. It’s an early Saturday morning in late June and most of NYU’s students are on Summer break. But for the group of artists, programmers, hackers and musicians about to gather around that breakfast table, the most important class of the year is about to begin.

Using a couple of open-source tools, a bit of programming know-how and a fair helping of imagination, the participants of this 2-day workshop are about to do something wonderful – They’re going to lay the foundations for their own 8-bit NES games, and become the next generation of retro game designers.

With breakfast and beverages depleted, the group makes their way into a technology lab down the hall. They’re walking into a computer science course, but not the kind that any university would normally offer. The instructor steps forward and passes around a knock-off NES console clone from China, the same kind that you usually see on display in mall kiosks and dollar stores. There’s something special about this one though – It costs only $10, and is distributed as a learning computer to low-income families in developing countries around the world. There’s only one problem: It needs software.

Harnessing the 8-Bit Power

Since 2009, the Playpower organization has been developing their unique learning games platform to benefit children in developing nations. There’s no big budget or R&D department because everything has already been laid bare by the original Nintendo Entertainment System. There’s no manufacturing costs either – These 8-bit ‘Famiclone’ systems are already being mass-produced by dozens of Chinese manufacturers. What the project does need, however, is volunteers, and that’s exactly where the workshop’s 20 or so talented participants come in.

After a brief introduction, instructor Don Miller, who is known for performing live visuals with the NES under the alias NO CARRIER shows volunteers the basics of working within the system’s graphical limitations. Miller has been tinkering with 8-bit hardware for years, creating several pieces of open-source software that have made ROM-hacking and homebrew on the NES more accessible than ever before. But even with this extra software muscle, making graphics on the NES remains a somewhat intimidating task that requires an intimate understanding of how the system processes and displays images.

Some of the workshop’s attendees were familiar with the NES and had an idea of what to expect. Others weren’t versed in 8-bit aesthetics at all and were more or less starting from scratch. But when it came time to get their hands dirty, all of the volunteers seemed to find designing sprites with a palette that only holds up to 3 colors to be not just challenging, but exciting. Miller went through the basics of how the NES stores sprites, colors and backgrounds by having everyone open a small repository of ROMs inside YY-CHR and GalleryNES, software that reveals and makes editable the content of a game’s graphical data. Soon enough, everyone was modifying the sprite data inside Bomberman and Super Mario Bros, the first step towards creating visuals for the next generation of 8-bit games.

Making a Global Impact

Of course, it’s important to remember the higher purpose these games will serve, and Playpower co-founder Derek Lomas is on hand to provide some background information. The Powerpoint slides show living conditions of children in impoverished areas of India, a region where Playpower has been especially active. Derelict buildings and dirty hovels house youngsters born into lower-class working families. Lomas stresses that when it comes to creating learning software for these children, quality and context are extremely important; factors that are usually not represented at all in the low-quality shovelware titles that are typically bundled with many of the aforementioned low-cost gaming systems.

During their previous workshops, Playpower had already gotten started on some of its own learning titles that are culturally appropriate, effective and fun. One of the prototypes demonstrated was an 8-bit typing game similar to the Dreamcast cult hit, Typing of the Dead, featuring Hanuman, a popular figure from Hindu mythology. Another was a top-down ‘Sim’-style game aimed at teaching methods of preventing the spread of malaria. Playpower volunteers have already traveled to Brazil and India to not only spread these and other learning games, but to confirm that they’re actually effective through on-site field testing.

Digging Into 8-Bit Music, Graphics, & Code

By the end of the workshop’s first day, the volunteers are divided into small teams and already pitching game ideas to the rest of the group. They decide which project they’d like to work on and with that, everyone retires for the evening, goals firmly in mind for the workshop’s second half.

The second day kicks off on the lower level NYU’s Tisch Hall and everyone — including the instructors — seems to be running a bit behind schedule this time. Nevertheless, the breakfast ritual proceeds at an unrushed pace, with some new faces gathering around the table full of bagels, spreads and hot beverages. Namely, Joey Mariano, aka Animal Style, a Philadelphia-based chiptune musician with an extensive portfolio of musical hardware hacks, and NYU’s own Jeremiah “Nullsleep” Johnson, an original member of New York chiptune artist collective 8bitpeoples whose 10 years of lo-fi musical exploits have taken him to Europe, Japan and everywhere in between. It was safe to assume that today the participants would be getting a crash course in chip music.

The chiptune elites begin a tag team demonstration of Famitracker, the software composer that writes in Nintendo Sound Format (NSF) for eventual playback on an actual Nintendo console. Being a ‘tracker’ program, much like the ones developed for early home computer systems like the Commodore 64, Famitracker’s method of composition is more akin to programming code than placing notes on a staff. Fortunately, in a classroom room filled with programmers, the learning curve isn’t as steep as it would normally be, and a few are able to whip together some short, whimsical tunes.

Don Miller takes the podium again to demonstrate what is probably the most intimidating facet of 8-bit game-making: Programming the game itself. This means getting down and dirty with the NES’s assembly language, a notoriously fickle programming architecture. But Don kept it simple, identifying the code responsible for sprite animation cycles and explaining how to program the color palette data by changing hexidecimal markup and compiling the changes back into the ROM. There was a lot more to it, but for an introductory workshop, it was just enough to keep everyone interested and eager to experiment on their own.

With just a few hours to go, the room splits back into groups and springs into action with the goal of creating as many assets as possible for their game ideas from the day before. They would also write documents so that they or other Playpower volunteers could continue developing their ideas.

Progress Made At NYU Sessions

Given the time constraints, there were some impressive results by day’s end. One group made advancements to the Sim-style Malaria prevention game mentioned earlier by giving the player control over a character on the screen to avoid confusion. Another wrote a detailed design document for a game where you program the actions of a robot to complete puzzles, sort of like an 8-bit version of Carnage Heart for the PS1. And one group even managed to put their assets into a functioning prototype – a mathematics game starring a number-munching shark.

So what does this all mean for retro gaming enthusiasts? If I were to speak prophetically, I’d say that the continued success of workshops like this one signals the beginnings of an 8-bit game design rennaissance. Playpower isn’t just working to benefit an important humanitarian cause – they’re re-invigorating our interest in the craft of retro games, putting the right tools into the hands of those with creativity and a passion for classic gaming. In other words, if you’re all about neo-8bit games like Sivak’s Battle Kid, there’s a good chance that, very soon, you’ll not only be playing more things like it – you’ll be making them too.

Interested in Joining This 8-Bit Cause?

If you are facinated by this topic and maybe even want to get involved in the project, here are a handful of links that will get you familiar with the project and what you need to get started.

• The Playpower Volunteer Network
• Programming Guide: Getting started programming on the $10 computer
• Watch Video Guides on Getting Started with NES Graphics & Programming
• Read about the $10 Computer and Playpower’s Goals
• How to Help: Technical and Non-Technical
• Contribute to a Game-in-Progress
• Watch the recorded video from the NYU Play Power Workshop Sessions

About this series: In stark contrast to the Cheapest Games series, this Rare & Valuable series will round up the rarest and most valuable games for a given console or handheld so you’ll know what to look for whether you are buying or selling.

In this round-up of collectible games, we will be taking a look at the TurboGrafx-16 and it’s Japanese counterpart, the PC Engine.   Rounding up accurate pricing for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx is significantly tougher than most of the other systems we have covered in the past, as the PC Engine market is relatively small these days.  The collectors in the PC Engine community are also much more inclined to buy, sell, and trade amongst themselves as opposed to using eBay or similar services.  To help out, we have scoured some of the hardcore TG16 community forums (a special thanks to the folks at pcenginefx.com) to survey what collectors have paid and sold their most valuable pieces for.   It is also worth noting that the price ranges vary a bit more in this lineup as the high-end usually is due to eBay inflation, while the hardcore community prices usually stay a bit more conservative.

Valuable Japanese Standard Releases

	Darius Alpha: $350 – $1400 Hu-Card Even though Sapphire (see below) usually steals some of the attention due to its graphical flair,  Darius Alpha is actually the one of the rarest PC Engine games and can sometimes be considered the most expensive Japanese release.  Originally, in order to get their hands on this rarity, Japanese PC Engine owners had to purchase the Hu-Card the Super CD version of Darius Plus and then send in the coupons from the manuals to enter themselves in a drawing.  The first 800 names drawn in the competition were awarded the Darius Alpha Hu-Card. In addition, some copies of the game were distributed as prizes by magazines such as PC Engine Gekken and Marakatsu. Check for Darius Alpha on eBay
	Ginga Fukei Densetsu: Sapphire: $300-$1000 Super CD Hudson’s shooters are always well-received, whether developed by Hudson themselves or gifted contractors. This legendarily-expensive Turbo Duo game isn’t overly challenging, but it will impress you with its technical prowess. As a late-era Turbo-Duo import that makes the most a massive RAM expansion to provide plenty of frames of animation for the game’s colorful sprites and lots of background tiles.   The graphical lure and the exclusivity of the title to the PC Engine has kept the demand for Sapphire extremely high over the years.  Some knock-off/pirate runs were also made and are circulating around on eBay and other places (usually for far lower prices), meaning this title is relatively attainable, but originals are not very common. Check for Ginga Fukei Densetsu: Sapphire on eBay
	Bazaru De Gozaru No Game De Gozaru: $150 – $350 Super CD This puzzle game with a monkey hero is probably one of the least-know games on the list, but it’s quite hard to find and typically brings in some serious cash when it shows up.  It was released in July of 1996 (three years after US TG16 releases dried up) — making it one of the last licensed retailed PC Engine releases, so it’s not surprising that it had a pretty low print run. Check for Bazaru De Gozaru No Game De Gozaru on eBay
	Sylphia: $100 – $240 Super CD It’s no secret that the PC Engine is one of the best consoles for 2D shooter fans and Slyphia is just the third shooter on this list.  This shmup from Compile had a very limited print run and it seems that most of the copies have ended up in the hands of collectors who aren’t looking to sell anytime soon.   Most Compile fans will agree that Sylphia isn’t ones of their best releases, but that hasn’t stopped the collectors from paying good money for it. Check for Sylphia on eBay
	Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo: $100 – $185 Super CD-ROM² Chi no Rondo is not only one of the best Castlevania games of all time, but it was probably one of the most impressive games released for the PC Engine in Japan. Dracula X introduced Richter and Maria, as well as the new graphical style and fluid animations Castlevania games would employ for years to come. Many of the enemy graphics in SoTN came directly from Dracula X with little modification. This is because the PC Engine game went all out with great graphics and an incredible level of animation.  If this game had been translated and released earlier in the US (it has since shown up on the PSP and Wii Virtual Console) it could have brought more fans and revenue to the tail end of the TG-16’s life. Check for Akumajou Dracula X: Chi no Rondo on eBay

Valuable North American Standard Releases

	Magical Chase: $500 – $2000 TurboChip Magical Chase is a side-scrolling shooter in which you play a witch on a broomstick (yup, pretty similar to Cotton).  The soundtrack is solid, but thanks to some wonderful feats of programming, the graphics really shine on Magical Chase. Colorful and fast moving, the sprites and animations are great, not to mention lots of other special graphical effects.  It’s rather interesting that the US release was so limited and slightly reprogrammed considering it was a beautiful accomplishment. Check for Magical Chase on eBay
	The Dynastic Hero: $300 – $500 Super CD Even thought Magical Chase gets most of the attention due to its high resale value, The Dynastic Hero is said to be one of the absolute hardest TurboGrafix title to track down.   However, The Dynastic Hero is actually a slightly-rebranded version of Wonder Boy in Monster World (Master System/Genesis) with pallete-swapped visuals (think Doki Doki Panic vs North America’s Super Mario Bros. 2).   The Dynasitic Hero was also one of the very last North American releases — Bonk 3 was released just a bit later, but understandably, had a higher print run. Check for The Dynastic Hero on eBay
	Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise: $200 – $380 Super CD This second installment of the high-quality shmup reboot of the Bonk series is one of the most accessible, stylish, and enjoyable shmups on the TG16, so it isn’t a huge surprise that is remains in demand.  It was also one of the final handful of North American releases. Check for Super Air Zonk: Rockabilly Paradise on eBay
	Bonk 3: Bonk’s Big Adventure: $200 – $300 Super CD The third game in the trademark series, Bonk’s Big Adventure, brought 2 player simultaneous action to the Bonk universe and was released in both TurboChip and Super CD format (with differences between the two being the inclusion of a CD soundtrack and some 4-player vs minigames for the latter format).  It is also worth mentioning that Bonk 3 is the last Super CD release in the US (right after Super Air Zonk). Check for Bonk 3 (Super CD) on eBay
	Bonk 3: Bonk’s Big Adventure: $150 – $250 TurboChip Much like its Super CD counterpart, Bonk 3 was also the last TurboChip released in the US (August 1993 — right after Magical Chase was released in July 1993) Check for Bonk 3 (Turbo Chip) on eBay
	Might and Magic III – Isles of Terra: $125 – $225 Super CD This installment from the classic RPG series was the second one to surface on the TurboGrafx, but its late release in October of 1993 in the US saw to it that this release would be rather scarce.   Considering that the game has been released on a handful of other platforms, this is pretty much a pure collector’s piece. Check for Might and Magic III on eBay
	Beyond Shadowgate: $150 – $220 Super CD An adventure game (King’s Quest style) that was supposedly in co-development for the PC, but eventually became a TurboGrafx exclusive.  This little gem includes lots of good puzzles and an incredible number of interesting ways to die. Beyond Shadowgate is a creative and truly under-exposed entry in the adventure genre that most genre fans will love.  Of course, being a late release in 1993 also contributed to having a relatively small print run. Check for Beyond Shadowgate on eBay
	Dungeon Explorer II: $130 – $200 Super CD This sequel to the popular TG16 action RPG was a late release in 1993 and ended up being a TurboGrafx exclusive. Check for Dungeon Explorer II on eBay
	Syd Mead’s Terraforming: $120 – $185 Super CD This shooter has average gameplay but some interesting visual design. The game has good music and adopts a pre-rendered graphical style with designs by futurist Syd Mead, who is responsible for the backdrops of productions like Blade Runner, Time Cop, and Star Trek.  Terraforming was also the last Super CD release in the US right after Sherlock Holmes 2  and Buster Bros. Check for Syd Mead’s Terraforming on eBay
	Soldier Blade: $80 – $180 TurboChip The Star Soldier releases are fun, vertical scrolling, challenging shooters that should appeal greatly to people who long for a time when shooters weren’t just tedious exercises in dodging patterned bullet spreads.  The series typically have some of the best graphics from any TurboChip shooters.   Soldier Blade changed the weapon system completely from Super Star Soldier and upped the ante with equally impressive graphics and better music. The bosses are probably the high point of Soldier Blade.   Soldier Blade wasn’t a especially late release (1992) and isn’t quite as rare as most of the games on this list, but it’s one of the best TG16 exclusives out there, so it’s always in demand. Check for Soldier Blade on eBay

Additional Games of Value

Japanese Standard Releases

• Gunhead Special Version (Hu-Card): $90 – $180
• Renny Blaster (Super CD): $90 – $175
• Kaze Kiri (Super CD): $90-160
• Magical Chase (Hu-Card): $90 – $130
• Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari (Super CD): $90 – $125
• Tatsujin (Hu-Card): $95 – $105
• Faussete Amour (Super CD): $90 – $105
• Cotton (Super CD): $80 – $100
• Darius II (Super CD): $90 – $95
• Fiend Hunter (Super CD): $80 – $85
• XAK III (Super CD): $75 – $80
• Steam Hearts (Super CD): $70 – $80
• Terraforming (Super CD): $50 – $80
• Ai Chouaniki (Super CD): $70 – $74

US Standard Releases

• Local Girls of Hawaii (Super CD): $90 – $145
• Bikini Girls (Super CD): $90 – $145
• Godzilla (Super CD): $85 – $120
• Air Zonk: $50 – $100
• Dead Moon (TurboChip): $45 – $100
• Legend of Hero Tonma: $30 – $100
• Loom (Super CD): $20 – $85
• Dragon Slayer (Super CD): $35 – $84
• Vasteel (Super CD): $70 – $80
• Y’s I & II with original map (Super CD): $20 – $65
• Bomberman ‘93 (TurboChip): $35 – $55
• Splatterhouse (TurboChip): $34 – $53
• Exile Wicked Phenomenom (Super CD): $37 – $51

Alright, heres the pitch: you are a young dolphin whose family gets kidnapped by an evil suction-based terror and you have to explore the ocean to find them and save the world.  If it sounds like the plot of a children’s book, you are close.  It is the plot of the first Ecco the Dolphin game.  Despite its cutesy appearance and children’s book-like plot, Ecco the Dolphin is no child’s game.  Ecco is well-known to be one of the hardest Genesis/Megadrive games released. It is a side scrolling action adventure title from Ed Annunziata, who later went on to create Kolibri, Mr. Bones, and then a host of titles for the N-Gage.  But dont let that phase you, Ed was in his prime when he created Ecco the Dolphin and if you have never played it you are in for a very unique treat.

History

Ed Annunziata wanted to create a game that was unlike the others on the market.  He chose the sea as a backdrop because it is beautiful, inviting, and deadly.  He chose a dolphin because they are like humans and they intrigue us (because of their intelligence and since they can communicate with each other).

Ecco was chosen as the name since it is a homonym of Echo.  Since echolocation is a central part of the gameplay, this only makes sense.  As a platformer that was not violent and had a heavier emphasis on puzzles, Ecco was released to great accolades.  Despite being well received, it was overshadowed by the more violent titles that were being released at the time.  It also was noted to be extremely difficult.  Despite these issues, it sold well enough to get two quick ports and an enhanced port.  Fairly impressive for one little dolphin.  The enhanced port, on the Sega CD/Mega CD is considered by the diehard fans to be the best version – thanks to the amazingly remastered soundtrack.

How to Play / Controls

To an action adventure fan, gameplay will come quickly.  Ecco is about finding hidden objects, solving puzzles, and fighting enemies but remember that Ecco is a dolphin, and a dolphin is a mammal, meaning Ecco has to breathe every once and a awhile.  So you need to shoot up into the air or find an air patch to keep Ecco going.  A lot of the difficulty comes from not knowing where the air pockets are.

The controls vary per the port obviously, but for the Genesis/Megadrive version:

• Dpad – Move
• A – Sonar
• B – Charge
• C – Speed Swim

Legacy

• Ecco the Dolphin spawned a short series.
• Released sequels are:
• Tides of Time – Sega CD – 1994
• Ecco Jr – Genesis/Megadrive – 1995
• Defender of the Future – 2000

Canceled sequels:

• Ecco the Dolphin – 32x – Never got passed a tech demo
• Ecco the Dolphin – Saturn

According to Ecco the Dolphin fansite, Dark Sea, who interviewed Ed Annunziata, neither the 32x or Saturn titles ever existed.  They were created as prerendered video to showcase the systems.  Ironically, neither of them could actually run on the systems based on the polygon counts and shaders used.

Availible Ports

• Sega CD – enhanced
• Game Gear
• Sega Master System
• PS2
• PSP
• GBA
• Wii
• PS3
• 360
• PC – multiple times

Think of the Sega CD version as a directors cut.  Most of the other versions are similar, so choose whatever format you like the most. Though I have to say it is currently only $2.99 on Steam.

Emulation Help

Racketboy Emulation Forum

Together Retro Discussion

Instead of posting in the comments section of the blog, we will be using the forum for all of our discussion in order to keep things more organized. So play Ecco the Dolphin and talk to us about your thoughts and play experiences in the forums. We want to know your favorite route, your highscores, and your failures.
Discuss The Game In The Forum

Garnet Hertz

Dr. Garnet Hertz is an artist, scientist, and critic whose work can be seen at conceptlab.com.    In this episode of the podcast he discusses the Outrun cab conversion project, his history as a gamer, the field of game studies, and whether games are art.  He also lets you know when and where you can see the finished project in action, so be sure to listen through to the end of the interview.

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Show Outline:

• (Last Wave – Outrun)
• Dave’s Intro
• Interview with Garnet Hertz
• (Passing Breeze – Outrun)
• Dave’s Outro
• (Nick and Steve – “Do Me a Favour” from Issue 2 of Mean Machines)

Do you have something to add? Do you have questions about this episode?  Do you want to heap scorn or praise? Please let us know below or in the forums!