The Retro Collective

We take Combat Lynx by Durell Software for a spin on the C64. A 1984 release which is playable on keyboard, but really demands 2 joysticks to master as I find out during an appalling display of helicopter piloting. Positives: Free roaming psuedo 3D with contorted landscapes, and in depth controls for flight and weapons systems Negatives: Need some serious time put into it to master it even on the easiest level. Probably a lot easier with two joysticks however. Impressive stuff for 1984. Music Credit: 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"

We review A10 Tank Killer by Dynamix. While I intended to play the PC version I opted for the Amiga in the end with better sound and brute force acceleration to give us a smooth experience. I really enjoyed playing this one.

Flight Path 737 was described by Amstrad Computer User as "the systems first flight simulator", but is it a flight sim at all? We try it out on the Commodore 64. Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"" : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn6KRNDPl5k49BMZgAHjq_Q

alk about squeezing a lot of game into a review. We touch on all the elements that made this a great game. Nearly a classic but not quite. Did anyone actually complete 25 missions? What are your memories of B17 Flying Fortress? Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?""

Digital Image Design were a UK software house at the forefront of flight sims in the 1990's, and spun off their engines in some pretty creative ways. This is a supersonic flight through their history in their games, most of which hold a special place in my collection. Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"" : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn6K... All other music in this documentary is directly from the games featured.

I take a look at the Mayflash Arcade Fighting Stick, a budget stick that seems to be up for sale everywhere you look. A stick with an identity crisis and some flaws which we might be able to fix. Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?""

From the archive I give you the unboxing of my Atari ST which is still sealed and brand new. It's really here as a resource for those who want to see what a complete system should contain, and those of us who are just interested to see what's inside. Enjoy the unboxing.

Part 1 of a brief history of Kick Off, what came before it, what challenged it for its crown and what happened next. Part 2 is here: https://youtu.be/Ffh3A6UoleY In part 1 we cover the early years, what went into the original Kick Off that made it great and how it was tweaked to create Player Manager and Kick Off 2. Thanks for watching, please subscribe if you'd like to see more videos like this, I really appreciate your support and feedback. Music Credits: Sideways Samba by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Artist: http://audionautix.com/ Eighties Action by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-... Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?""

A cheap and nasty joystick gets a cheap and nasty upgrade to give us genuine arcade buttons that don't feel like eyeballs. Total cost, £7.69 with comedy superglue. Original review: https://youtu.be/gDTaej86hmg Disclaimer: This is not for arcade afficianados. This is for people who want to turn this thing into something usable at minimal cost, with no tools. Glue is not a recommended arcade tool by arcade type professional folk. Music Credits: Banjo Short by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Artist: http://audionautix.com/ Eighties Action by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-... Artist: http://incompetech.com/ Hear The Noise - John Delay and the 41 Players Leavin - MK2 Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"

Part 2 of a brief history of Dino Dini and his football games. In this part Dino faces stiff competition and watches his Kick Off brand develop without his involvement. Part 1 of this video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUZVZ... Thanks for watching, please subscribe if you'd like to see more videos like this, I really appreciate your support and feedback. Music Credits: Eighties Action by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?""

Heart of China by Dynamix is an often overlooked title in the history of adventure games, but I think it deserves a quick retrospective. Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"

Let's take a look at the Aimtrak Arcade Light Gun for PC and compatible with the PS2 and 3. Compatible with modern LCD and LED TV's which light guns traditionally don't work with. Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"

Today I'm seeing if the Mayflash Sega Genesis/Megadrive to USB adapter lets us use other DB9 joysticks instead, which includes Commodore, Sinclair, Atari, Sega and hundreds of other old joypads and joysticks. Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"" : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn6K... Background Music from the games played, Streets of Rage 2 and Turrican

Buy it: http://amzn.to/2y0WtXU The "XCSource Zero Delay" USB Joystick Encoder, also known as the Bosega CY-822A, the "USB Joystick" and a whole host of other names is the cheapest arcade control encoder going. Lets take a closer look at it. You can support my channel by becoming a Patreon, and enjoy early access, the RMC coffee lounge and other fun: Support: https://www.patreon.com/user/RMC Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/RMCRetro Music: Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"" : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn6K... How it Begins by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-... Artist: http://incompetech.com/

A slightly different format today as I try out the Rockfire USB Nest Gameport to USB converter with a Thrustmaster F22, F16 TQS and Rudder Control System. How far can we take it without tearing these devices down and rebuilding them to work with modern systems? Music: Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"" : https://www.youtube.com/user/8bitbEtty

Retropi and a Pi3, what an awesome combination to build your emulation project around, and when it comes to handheld projects you're going to want a fast and colourful screen to make those classics look the part. Is the Waveshare 3.5" screen the perfect match? Links: Find my 3.2" vs 3.5" follow up review here: https://youtu.be/8bazEcXemiA Music: Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"" : https://www.youtube.com/user/8bitbEtty

Here's a fun hack, we're fixing up a Sega Game Gear Sound Circuit Board to work using power from a USB port and audio from a 3.5" audio output on a Raspberry Pi, with a few repairs along the way. This was a proof of concept to see if I could use the board. I'll be refining this design before the final Game Gear RetroPi build comes together. Subscribe to see more hacks, reviews and retro gaming adventures on my channel. Thanks for watching. Music: Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"" : https://www.youtube.com/user/8bitbEtty

Following my review of the Waveshare 35b 3.5" GPIO screen I'm now taking a look at the 3.2" model and running a side by side comparison. Which is better for gaming projects and why? Let's find out. Links: My 3.5" in depth review: https://youtu.be/SGMC0t33C50 Great setup guide: https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/2... You can support my channel by becoming a Patreon, and enjoy early access, the RMC coffee lounge and other fun: Support: https://www.patreon.com/user/RMC Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/RMCRetro Music: Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"" : https://www.youtube.com/user/8bitbEtty Dance Monster - Electronic Medium by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-... Artist: http://incompetech.com/

The Pi Game Gear build continues and this time we're using the original GG power board to provide both battery and mains power to the Pi. This also powers the original Game Gear sound board which we got working with the Pi in our previous video, and we tidy up those cables. If you enjoyed this video then please subscribe to see the rest of this and other projects. Music Credits: Eighties Action by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...) Here's a video where we checked out the Sound Board: https://youtu.be/b4Gqobm7bE0 Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"

Over 20 years later this joystick finally gets its moment in the sun as we unwrap the little time capsule for a trip down memory lane. What's your PC joystick of choice? Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"

I stumbled across this permanent exhibition in a basement in Budapest and grabbed the camera to share it with you. 130 machines all on freeplay from 1925 to the present day. It is described on the flyer as the "Largest Pinball Exhibition in Europe" Website: flippermuzeum.hu Theme Music Credit with permission from 8bit Betty "Was that away message for me?"

The magic dumpster delivers again with a fantastic 486 PC. But does it work and what's inside it? Let's tear it down and find out. This is the donor PC for our 486 Trash to Treasure series in which we'll be transforming it into my ultimate 486 gaming PC.

We continue squeezing a Raspberry Pi 3 into a Game Gear. In this video we find a novel way to mount everything inside the case, and after a failed attempt hit on a way to add and configure the controls that works nicely.

Today I'm restoring an old yellow computer back to a bright original white using BBlonde peroxide available in high street stores and sunlight.

Sega have released some of their original launch versions of the games for the Mega Drive / Genesis in a free ad supported or paid for version. Let's take a look to see if it's worth installing.

Today we take a look at a refreshing approach to playing your favourite emulated arcade and console games. New Retro Arcade, a place where emulation meets a simulation of the 1980's/1990's and captures the atmosphere perfectly.

In part one of our 486 Trash to Treasure mini series we're replacing an old noisy 540mb IDE HD with a Compact Flash adapter, making for quick and easy removal to transfer files onto the card using a modern PC. We install it, benchmark it and put it to the test.

We continue to turn our dumpster PC into my ultimate 486 gaming machine. Today we're adding a great sound card as well a Roland SC-88VL to take care of Midi music. What do you think of the result? Would you have done it differently? And where shall we go next with our build?

A music request by imoldgreggguk for the MSDOS version of XCOM UFO Defense on a Roland SC-55.

A music request by LillieBeBe for the MSDOS version of Monkey Island 2 on a Roland SC-55. If you'd like to make a classic game music requests leave a comment.

A music request by LillieBeBe for the MSDOS version of Monkey Island 2 on a Roland SC-88. If you'd like to make a classic game music requests leave a comment.

A music request by imoldgreggguk for the MSDOS version of XCOM UFO Defense on a Roland SC-88

A music request from ProjectGeek for the MSDOS version of Transport Tycoon Deluxe on a Roland SC-88.

A music request from Tsurime for the MSDOS version of Lotus 3 Ultimate Challenge on a Roland SC-88.

A music request from AlmostLucid for the MSDOS version of Quest for Glory 1 song "Erana's Peace" on a Roland SC-88. This is a playback of a midi file version of the requested song.

A music request by Lehawk0 for the MSDOS version of Spellcraft Aspects of Valor on a Roland SC-88.

Let's put a theory as old as computer time to the test. Can toothpaste repair scratches on a CRT monitor?

We turn to the buzzword of the early 90's for our next upgrades, "Multimedia", and we're not here to mess around. Just like our Roland audio additions we're fitting some serious hardware to get the ultimate 486 experience. Note: At 7:18 I forget to install the CD Audio cable, this will be fitted in episode 5 when we finish it all up.

Multimedia & MPEG continued, we get that Reelmagic card installed and test out some games with it.

I couldn't resist but share these marketing letters from Managing Director Nigel Searle circa 1983. These letters were sent to the owner of this computer in the months following their purchase. Old Nigel really was optimistic about the MicroDrive and ZX Interface 2!

It is finally finished! After 4 days of retrobriting in the wet British summer I've restored the plastics as far as they will go, made some internal changes and then got on with the business of playing games. Lots and lots of games.

A 5 minute tech test on one of the many cheap PCI to PCI Express adapters on the market. Does it work and is it worth buying one. Lets find out.

In our first episode of gaming lore we look back at Links 386 Pro. A game which drove PC's to utilise the latest hardware and rise above competing platforms in photo-realistic glory. FOUR! Corrections: 1:54 - 640x480 quadruples the pixel density (not doubles!) Thanks JB

An unexpected auction win kicks off our next restoration series. This time it's a Digital VAXStation 3100, setting you back a cool $10,000 to $18,000 in 1989. Get to know our new machine with me and I'll consider if this is beyond repair, or if we should dive in and get to work on it.

After a thorough clean down a new real time clock battery is installed as well as a PSU. Then we fire it up, will it work?

In our 3rd episode in the VAXStation restoration we roll our sleeves up and tackle the operating system, and more grime on our VAXStation.

Review time! It's the Zalman ZM-VE350 a handy device that appears as a CD drive and allows you to mount ISO files on the fly. Great for both modern day and retro purposes.

Welcome to Trash to Treasure, Amiga style. Today we're taking a look at an A500 I picked up from a classifieds advert. It's not pretty, but it's well worth rescuing not just because it's an A500 but because it's a little bit special.

Let's try out a HDMI screen with RetroPie and some games. This is the "Elecrow 5 Inch Touch Screen HDMI Monitor". A TFT LCD monitor with touch screen and 60hz refresh. Hopefully you find the tour and Retropie footage useful in putting together your own projects. Purchasing Links to support RMC Elecrow 5" Screen: http://amzn.to/2h8PvK9

Welcome to part 2 of my Trash to Treasure Amiga series. Today's episode is a roller coaster as we try to fault find and fix with varying degrees of success.

Welcome to part 3 of my Trash to Treasure Amiga series. Today we get the old girl all cleaned up and I was hoping to showcase the finished machine, but the British weather got the better of us. I'll just have to dedicate a full episode to the showcase when the sun comes out.

Update: The Spectrum is repaired, but all it took was some new capacitors before I attempted any interesting fault finding. So this series will now be taking a different direction exploring what made the system unique. I was donated a rather handsome 48KB ZX Spectrum by Mrs ManCave's father this week. Owing to its cosmetic condition we can hardly make this a "Trash to Treasure" series, but it is in a none-working condition. Let's start by taking a look at the system before we move on to repairs, and the use of the machine in the modern day.

Welcome to part 4 of my Trash to Treasure Amiga series. The episode that was never meant to be, but the British weather delayed us from finishing in part 3. Thanks to the help of a UV light I finished up the retrobriting and here's the final result, as well as some memories I have from using the system. Enjoy. ● Corrections Turrican 2 in the final montage is the PC version, oops! This will be rectified when I release the series in a single video.

To wrap up the Amiga 500 Trash to Treasure series here's the full series in a single video, with a few corrections and audio level adjustments to make it more enjoyable, as well as some interesting episode intervals from Jay Miner. This wraps up the A500 Trash to Treasure series. I hope you enjoyed it and will join me for future videos.

Calculators, perhaps not exciting at first sight but an important part in computer history, and this Commodore example is no exception and should be able to hold its head high alongside Sinclair, HP and Texas Instrument offerings. This was found discarded in the rain and in a very sorry state. The perfect challenge for my friend TheProjectGeek, lets see if he's up to the challenge.

Today we're focusing on the distinctive graphical style the ZX Spectrum had, including the famous colour clash, why it looked like this, and how game designers overcame the limitations. Where's the repair!? - In part 1 we had a broken ZX Spectrum which we took a tour of and I talked of repairing it. As it turns out, all it needed was to be re-capped with new capacitors and it came to life. I thought that wouldn't make a very interesting video, so we're going to explore what made the machine unique over the rest of the series. Once complete I'll release the full series and re-edit episode one a little to give better continuity. If I should come across a broken Speccy in future it will get the T2T treatment.

Here are the highlights of your donations to the cave for the month of September 2017 and early October. Some cracking new systems to play with and explore as well as insights into a few future videos.

The GoTek, I'm sure you already know about this one as it has been around for years. In my quest to enjoy my Amiga without cutting it up or modifying it in ways which cannot be reversed, here's my way of using the GoTek externally as DF0. A simple solution that will now provide hours of entertainment.

Welcome to another Trash to Treasure series. This time we explore a donated Acorn Electron. As T2T series go this one isn't in bad shape at all. It obviously needs a good clean and we'll be taking precautions before firing her up.

Mini NES? Mini SNES? No thank you, not when I can have a mini Amiga, C64, BBC Micro or Atari ST! Lets take a look at this tiny 3D printed cases for your Raspberry Pi thanks to the donation from RetroPiCases.com

In this episode we check the safety and suitability of our donated Acorn Electron to ensure we don't damage it by powering it on or create an unnecessary risk to ourselves or our home.

Welcome to my review of the Raspberry Pi bar top kit from GeekPi. It promises to be the complete package, everything you need for a great RetroPie setup, but can it deliver? Let's find out...

The ZX Spectrum delivered Sir Clive Sinclairs vision of a low cost, accessible and available 8 bit micro to British homes. Today we explore the impact of a system which found its way into 5 million homes and introduced a generation to computing. A generation who continue to influence the industry today. Enjoy the memories with very special guests The Oliver Twins, Matthew Smith and a few cameos along the way.

A bumper episode for you today as we restore the Acorn Electron from a gravy stained mess to a beautiful piece of computing history.

When someone wants to throw their hat into the ring and challenge one of my reviews, who am I to deny them the opportunity. Having seen our recent review of a competing Pi Joystick Case this new arrival landed on my doormat, and the fight was on.

It's our first ever handheld T2T series. Let's get familiar with the 1989 Atari Lynx model 1 so that we might be able to fix it up and enjoy some mobile gaming while burning through some batteries.

Cave Party! Friends of the Cave join me today as we set the record straight on just what the Amiga was capable of when it comes to MIDI. The Atari ST range and later the Falcon became the go to choice for hit record makers and the PC enjoyed MIDI soundtracks in their games, was the Amiga as capable? Let's find out.

Time to get down to the nitty gritty and fix up our broken Atari Lynx. Can we restore it to its former glory and enjoy Atari's handheld?

Another month, another donations video and you've been as generous as ever, thank you! I've also made our first Patreon Q&A public on the end of this video to give you a flavour of what we get up to on Patreon.

Matthew has kindly donated this C64 to the cave, the first we've looked at, so I called upon the support of Jan Beta to help us to identify what type of C64 we have. I take you through the chips on the board, and we learn a little about the origins of the machine.

Happy Holidays Cave Dwellers. I decided to down tools and relax today while trying out three festive games I've never played before, and share my opinion of them with you. I'd love to hear about your festive game choices and experiences in the comments section.

Following our Lynx restoration series it's time to take it one step further, addressing the systems biggest weakness the passive matrix display.

Work continues on our donated C64, we've got to know the machine now lets try to restore it. This time I take a different approach to my usual method with some additions which are surprisingly available off the shelf.