Jeez, next thing you're going to be quoting Marshall MacLuhan. O:)
Hahahaha. I know
.
(OK, this is all in good fun, Joe
. It's fun to read your responses.)
Wasn't there a PAL TurboGrafx released in Europe? Why yes, there was!
Yes, a gray market PAL unit saw extremely limited release... and we don't even know what countries actually received them (Spain seems to be one of them). The PCE import scene was incredibly more robust than the PAL TurboGrafx. The very fact that we can't verify much of the history of the PAL TG speaks to its obscurity. I was the one who asked John Greiner (of Hudson) about the PAL TG-16 and he was kind enough to answer. To date, his account is the most definitive, and it consists of a short paragraph.
PAL TG is the least-representative NEC console.
I still say it is nostalgia. You want to experience the games as they were played back then by the majority. That can be defined as nostalgia. You want to give them that 1980-1990's context each time you play. Me? I just want the games to look as good as they are able to with the real systems. It kicks much ass that I can play ancient systems in component video, which wasn't even around at the time. I don't play games for their historical context, I play them to have fun.
Somehow, you've forgotten that I said:
Basically, I approach video games as both a form of entertainment and as a field with a rich history that should be explored, experienced, even studied. I know I'm a dork, but I don't care.
I friggin' love playing games. I play games to have fun. I don't know where you got the mistaken idea that I don't enjoy playing games. You seem to think that "enjoying something" and "thinking about it" are mutually exlcusive. They are not. This may shock you, but when I read books, watch movies, or listen to music, I think about them. I'm interested in them. Zombie films or art films, grand literature or trashy novellas... I think about them, try to learn more about them. In fact, it's fun to compare / contrast "high-brow" and "low-brow" pop culture. I think the distinction is silly, but the differnt status and esteem that folks attribute to them is bewildering at times.
If you think about it, I doubt that you are passive consumer. You're here, on these boards. You've taken the time to share your insights and help others (i.e. writing articles at sega-16), etc. I don't see any difference between us.
I'm not writing a doctoral thesis. I'm just trying to connect the dots while I'm having fun!
As far as nostalgia is concerned: It strikes me that
any interest in the past qualifies as "nostalgia" to you. Nostalgia is distinct from the pursuit of history. Do you think scientists have "nostalgia" for the origins of the universe, simply because their object of study is, literally, in the past? Do you think all historians are motivated by "nostalgia"? A friend of mine is an sociologist, and, I must confess, she really is nostalgic for the Boy Scouts of yesteryear (actually, she studies gender relations in youth organizations, and how they change, over time).
Nostalgia is a derogatory term that is used profusely in our hobby, especially when older consoles, games, and genres are discussed. You insult me by saying I'm motiviated my nostalgia, because you are essentially saying that there is no merit to RF/composite (for the reasons I described). You are saying there is no merit to my curiousity or pursuits.
Other folks (not you, Joe) will add that most older games are not even playable anymore... that folks who still play them are blinded by nostalgia, and that if it were not for their nostalgia, they would realize that most older games no longer have any merit (by contemporary standards).
Hey, you seem to employ the same logic in your attitude towards RF/composite!Hogwash!
I can't change anyone's opinions on a game, but please don't insult me by saying that I'm the one deluded by nostalgia.
If anything, I would say that it is the folks today who are deluded into thinking that anything less than RGB will "hurt their eyes". Pretty soon you'll be telling me that you refuse to watch any tv show or movie that isn't HD, simply because the old standards look so bad on HDTV's.
But what about simply having fun and enjoying stuff? I bet you'll still watch your favorite films / tv shows, even if they aren't HD (yet!). You'll still play your favorite games, too, wouldn't you, if God decreed "though shalt have no RGB!"
I know I'd still listen to my favorite music, even if a speaker blew out.
And to paraphrase ccovell, I like my eyes to have a treat as well. Same goes with the audio. I like to listen in stereo even though the majority of people listened in mono. You can't argue that mono is better than stereo.
Suffering with a 3 button Genesis pad just for the sake of playing with the original pad is... well... you're special.
As far as visuals are concerned, I
like RGB. But RF/composite is still a treat for me.
And I listen to stuff in stereo... if it is available in stereo. Weren't TG-16 and Genny the first to offer stereo in North America? Don't exaggerate things, I said I drew the line at
modding consoles.
And finally, the point is that I do appreciate the 3-button controller for the Genny, since I gave it a chance (I'm glad I did), but it will never be on my list of "top 5 controllers"! Plus, I'm entitled to gripe about it! You gripe about how crappy RF/composite is all the time!
(Joe, you know it's fun to enliven the boards with some drama! Especially because I'm supposed to be installing some molding -- big party tomorrow -- but I wanted to procrastinate
. I have to do some painting as well, goddammit.)