DF Retro

- Season 4

(2019)

John, Alex and Rich sit down to discuss their very first gaming PCs, their early hardware upgrades and the games that inspired them to improve their gaming hardware.

DF Retro returns with a detailed look at one history's greatest shooters - Contra 3: The Alien Wars. John goes in-depth on how this classic SNES shooter works, what makes it brilliant and how the astonishing Game Boy port compares. Then it's on to the controversial Game Boy Advance conversion, including its bizarre method of borrowing content from Contra Hard Corps on Genesis/Mega Drive.

Join John, Alex and Rich for a DF Retro Extra, as the team re-examines the darkest hour for the PlayStation 3 - the legendary E3 2006 media briefing. Yes, it's the one with Riiiidge Racer, real-time weapons change, the giant enemy crab and of course MASSIVE DAMAGE.

DF Retro returns. It's just over ten years on from the release of Killzone 2 on the PlayStation 3. Join John Linneman for a look at the game's controversial beginnings, to its final, technologically astonishing result.

Is this the coolest, most impressive - and accurate - Mega Drive clone yet? Join John Linneman for a detailed breakdown of the new Analogue Mega Sg, including an overview of its features, and the most comprehensive battery of emulation tests.

Join John Linneman and talented coder Gabriel Morales discuss Sega's almost legendary 'Blast Processing', what it actually was, how it worked and why it never actually appeared in any Genesis/ Mega Drive games - nope, not even Sonic 2.

Bubsy's back...again. This time on DF Retro. Join John and special guest Audi, the one and only World Heavyweight Champion of Bubsy, as they step through the history of everyone's favorite mascot. What's the connection between Bubsy, Naughty Dog and Studio Bend? Is Bubsy really as bad as his reputation would suggest? Can you guess all the mascots featured in this video? You know what to do - click on this video. Then, when you're finished, watch it again. Bubsy is your friend.

Sega's Dreamcast broke the mold by introducing 480p rendering to consoles, backing it with the legendary VGA box. Modern 480p options are available but none have the same pure digital quality as the brilliant DCHDMI. John Linneman tests out the mod and ranks it up against the analogue-to-digital alternatives.

A very special DF Retro as John Linneman takes a look at the phenomenal new Switch version of Virtua Racing, stacking it up against every console conversion and, of course, the arcade original.

Microsoft delivers once again with a brilliant Xbox One X enhanced back-compatible release for Ninja Gaiden 2. John takes a look at the latest version of the game and stacks it up against every release of NG2 on consoles - one of the most fascinating multi-platform projects of the last decade.

John explores the recently released Castlevania Anniversary Collection checking out each and every game included. What did each installment bring to the table and how do they hold up today? And how about the emulation quality? Watch to find out.

And now for something a little different - a Digital Foundry Retro Let's Play. In this video, John returns to play some of the controversial Castlevania 64. Is it really a series low point? Audi Sorlie guests.

DF Retro is back with a deep dive into one of the most technically impressive console games of its period - Turok Dinosaur Hunter's reputation may have diminished in the last 20 years, but in some respects it challenged and even exceeded the mighty Quake. John takes us back in time.

For years we've been waiting for a proper sequel to 16-bit classics Super Contra and Contra: The Hard Corps - but Konami failed to deliver. So why not check out the next best thing, Blazing Chrome by JoyMasher successfully captures everything that made the originals so great, and it's available on virtually all modern platforms. Join John Linneman for a detailed analysis on how this game was made - and why you should buy it.

DF Direct goes retro. John Linneman sits down Sekai Games' boss - and game historian - Audi Sorlie to talk about the Famicom Disk System, a Japan-only 1986 release that aimed to make gaming cheaper - and better. It's a fascinating insight into a little-known area of Famicom gaming.

It's the late 1980s: the Nintendo Entertainment System/Famicom is the most popular console in the world and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are the latest TV/comic sensation - with a movie in the works. One of the best game developers of the era, Konami, has the console rights - but the end product doesn't quite live up to expectations. Join John Linneman and guest Audi Sorlie from Sekai Games for a return visit to NES Turtlemania.

Of all the major retro consoles, N64 is the machine that causes the most problems when hooking up to a modern flat panel display - mostly because S-Video was the top-end output offered by the machine itself. So what's the best solution here? John talks HDMI adapters and mods with MyLifeInGaming's Marc Duddleston, with a focus on the brand new 'plug and play' EON Super 64 adapter.

The original Turok: Dinosaur Hunter was a landmark release. Its sequel? Not so much. However, the new remaster fixes most of the original release's issues and is now on Switch, alongside PC and Xbox One. In this video, Turok fans John Linneman and Alex Battaglia discuss the game in its various incarnations - and John shows the game running on original 3DFX Voodoo Graphics hardware. Plus: just how bad was N64 performance back in the day? Spoilers: pretty poor.

In honor of Eurogamer - our partner website - reaching its 20th anniversary, we decided to honor its birthday by revisiting some of the most classic and interesting games of 1999, running them on a vintage retro PC with Coppermine Pentium, plus Voodoo 2 and Riva TNT2 Pro graphics cards.

It's not perfect - but it's very, very good nonetheless. M2's work on the Sega Genesis Mini (aka Mega Drive Mini) is pretty awesome, the hardware itself is beautiful and the game selection is astonishing. What's not to like? John Linneman has the DF Retro verdict right here.

DF Retro's very own John Linneman teams up with Sekai Games' Audi Sorlie to revisit one of the Sega Genesis' finest games - the brilliant Rocket Knight Adventures from Konami. Essential retro viewing.

DF Retro takes over DF Direct this week with a deep dive into the music of the legendary Chris Huelsbeck - courtesy of a conversation with Chris himself. Learn all about his music for Rainbow Arts, Factor 5 and more on C64, Amiga, consoles and beyond.

This is an interesting product. We went into this one expecting to spend most of our time replaying the Capcom classics but ended up discovering a whole lot more of interest in the arcade giant's exceptional CPS1/CPS2 line-up. Join John Linneman and Audi Sorlie for the definitive breakdown of the Capcom Home Arcade.

A fascinating but ultimately terrible video games machine, the Philips CDi nevertheless attracts the attention of retro game collectors - including John Linneman and Audi Sorlie, who take four games for a spin in this special Let's Play. And it all kicks off with Dark Castle, possibly the worst port of what is already one of the worst games ever made? But is it the actual worst? Well, let's talk about the equally atrocious Alien Gate at a later date.

Join John Linneman and Audi Sorlie for a look at Terraonion's excellent Mega SD - an FPGA-based recreation of the Sega CD (aka Mega CD) allowing you to run the entire library of compact disc-based titles on original Mega Drive/Genesis hardware. It's a fascinating piece of kit, and DF Retro has a lot of opinions about it.

Released at the tail-end of 1996 during Nintendo 64's launch window, Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire gained massive attention owing to some phenomenal graphics - but there was a PC version too that was arguably even prettier - if you had the right hardware. Join John Linneman for a retrospective on Shadows of the Empire on N64, along with detailed analysis of the PC version, running on contemporary hardware.

Join DF Retro for an extended look at three of the least appealing Christmas games ever made - one for PlayStation 1 and two on the reliably terrible Philips CDi. Join John Linneman as he subjects Audi Sorlie to a barrage of terrible festive gaming turkeys. But do not fear: DF Retro returns tomorrow for one of the best Christmas games ever made.

It's the only Christmas Let's Play that matters. John Linneman and Audi Sorlie travel back in time to 1996 to revisit Sonic Team's remarkable NiGHTS - or more specifically, its one-off Christmas variant.

Join John Linneman and Audi Sorlie for an end-of-year DF Retro Direct, where they share their best 'new' retro gaming finds of the year.