Episode 403 - Native widescreen support was incredibly rare back in the day, so let's take a look at each game for these three consoles that has widescreen built in!
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0:00 - Opening spiel
0:38 - WTF is Widescreen?
1:44 - Saturn
9:27 - Nintendo 64 part 1
16:57 - Nintendo 64 part 2
24:03 - Dreamcast
33:25 - End sketch
#widescreen
Have you ever heard Joe say, "please like and subscribe?" Neither have I.
It's a given. And we love both him and Dave not having ever pushed that. It's fine when a channel does, of course, but it's super awesome when the creators know their creative works are going to find their family and leave it up to that.
I HEARD IT THROUGH THE QUALITY OF THE CONTENT LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOOO
Joe said it in the past. But I recall he actually said the words "if you like this video and want to see more, I would appreciate it if you like or subscribe. It helps the algorithm. But if you don't want to, then that's fine too. Do whatever makes you happy. But in the mean time thank you for watching Gamesack". Something to that extent, and it was a while ago now... I believe around the time Dave left and people where questing if Joe could go in it alone. Which he proved with flying colors. It's been many years since I recall him saying anything like that.
Yeah in the earlier videos there used to be like a two second clip in the middle of the video that would ask you to like and subscribe to their twitter and facebook and whatever else they had. But still I see what you're saying, he isn't constantly schilling himself out like some other channels do. Like Good Mythical Morning-- I love those guys but holy shit it just never stops.
@@mr.selfimprovement3241 Only in a joking manner, like here --> kzhead.info/sun/aatynrGSjX2oe3A/bejne.html
i absolutely loved these 2 widescreen episodes would love to see coverage of widescreen 3DO, PS2, Xbox, and GameCube games
I watched every gamesack episode, no matter the specific content. Your research, humor, and criticism make every episode extremely worthwhile and entertaining.
"Because when you're on top you might as well just ruin everything." Console Manufacturers 101
Sony: "Write that down, WRITE THAT DOWN!!"
Microsoft after the Xbox 360.. @@pcachu
@@pcachu Xbox too in the last few weeks. I'm happy I switched to PC. I get both PS and Xbox exclusives which are the best versions without all the drama and stupidity of the console and it's maker.
These 3 are actually the only 3 consoles I owned in the 90s! The effort to make this video is very much appreciated - even if it might not get the biggest viewcount. I like what you said at the start - making videos that YOU would want to watch and wish existed is the most honest and admirable approach to content creation!
For Ken Griffey Jr. Slugfest, change the batting style to classic in the options menu. It eliminates using the analog stick to adjust the swing box or whatever it’s called, and batting is solely based on timing. It makes that game infinitely more enjoyable to me.
Oh yeah? Good tip, thanks!
I was gonna say, I loved this game growing up, I did the same thing as you.
yes, he also said that baseball games became worse in the 16bit era but I think that was the 32/64 bit era.
@@frankmabo3940 I said that because the more sim-like baseball games started coming out towards the end of the 16-bit era, with the box you need to move a target around, etc etc.
The other widescreen video not doing well I blame squarely on KZhead. It's not the fault of the content which was pure Game Sack goodness!
My problem with the last video is that it was too many samely looking racers and sports games. This one had a more interesting selection of games.
Rare Replay's version of Jet Force Gemini just presents the game in WIdescreen instead of letterboxing it, plus that version has a MOdern Controls option too which honestly makes it the best way to play
Panzer Dragoon looks breathtaking in wide-screen
I bought Panzer Dragoon about 2 months ago on the Nintendo eShop for the Switch and fell in love with the game..
I really like the fact that you made this video, even if the subject wasn’t so popular with a previous episode. I hope you continue to produce things this way, because your enjoyment translates into the quality. And I do enjoy the subject, btw. 😊
Gamesack just do what it do
I covered a LOT of games whenever I was studying about Anamorphic Widescreen, and the Genesis Widescreen core in Retroarch... Enhancing the PS1 games and seeing which ones looked great in Widescreen is still an ongoing endeavor... But you've gone the extra mile! You are covering the games I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole! Then you're explaining the aspect ratios in a way that is more understandable... I did it because I wanted to fill the screen on my favorite OLED handheld... But YOUR research covers Televisions! Color me impressed! This is a Very good video! You can tell the BEST ones... Whenever you learn something new!!!
I think people take what we got these days for granted. Back then it was neat to find stuff that only work on your new fancy TV that cost as much as a car! Now we need fancy gear just to play retro titles on their original consoles
Same with modern gaming really - consoles and PC have become so prohibitively expensive.🙂I know many people can easily afford it, and good for them. But objectively compared to the past: to simply be able sit down and play a new videogame on console (and the way the developer intended)... has honestly become so much more convoluted and expensive.
If a game has multiple editions, just ignore it, simple as that. @@mr.selfimprovement3241
@@mr.selfimprovement3241 go more into the AA or indie section and skip the greedy AAA companies, then you should be fine.
@@jaikishorsharan5971 That's not going to help that much.
@@mr.selfimprovement3241depends on where you live, in Brazil gaming os a lot more accessible now with official distribution of the Switch and PS5 and with steam for those gaming on PC's.
Thanks for putting this together Joe, extremely helpful to know whether we're getting zooms, crops, stretches, or a combination. For everyone reading this, you generally can't just look this stuff up, Joe had to test each game and identify the framing implementation to get this kind of data. Not easy to do.
I really enjoy these videos. One thing about Game Sack is that its never boring 😎👍
0:21 im suprised the playstation video didnt do well. I found it really useful and great to watch!
I still use a small CRT (Samsung GxTV) for my older consoles, so I don’t use widescreen much- but I’ve learned quite a bit over these past two episodes. There are a couple of N64 games here that are now on my radar, notably Stunt Racer 64. Game Sack episodes sometimes get me to buy in on games I missed out on.
Thank you for leaving the 32X commercial in 4 to 3 rather than creating a "vintage" commercial in 16 to 9, even when the theme of the episode was vintage widescreen games.
For anyone wondering, toge (峠、とうげ) is pronounced toe-geh, which means mountain pass. Those are the types of roads that Initial D takes place on, and these are unlicensed games that mimic that drifting experience. Is this the new tate mode?
I feel if I was getting an English speaker to pronounce it I'd romanise it as 'toe-gay' or perhaps even 'toe-gé'; I think a lot of people would stumble over 'geh' since I can't think of any words in English that use that combination of letters.
It's more like the ge in forget
@@CarmenOfSpades I think that "-gay" sounds a bit too long, in music terms it's more of a staccato since it's only one character, ge
@@ITNoetic agreed, that's a good approximation for what "ge" (げ) sounds like. All this work and it's probably easier to just find a video of someone pronouncing this word on KZhead haha
@@PatrickLofstrom Yeah, I think that @ITNoetic is on point. The only thing I'd argue, and this is more my own personal take, is that when trying to transliterate for non-native speakers, I tend to value succinctness and ease of understanding (understandability? lol) over accuracy, since a non-native speaker who otherwise doesn't care isn't going to pronounce it 100% accurately anyway -- the goal is just to make sure they get as close as possible. A Japanese speaker would probably understand とうげい as とうげ, but probably not とうぐ, right? Thanks for the interesting conversation on Gamesack of all places, by the way!
I really like these videos on widescreen support and similar modernish features in older games. It's always nice if I can find something that goes the extra mile when I'm playing stuff on more modern TVs
Thank you for making the videos you want to see made, and not just the ones you think will do well for the channel in the short term. That's why you are one of the best channels around.
The VGA adapter for the Dreamcast was my first real taste at "high definition" gaming via a console. Tons of racing games supported widescreen like MSR and Test Drive V Rally.
F355
@@olevet75unfortunately that will not 16:9 in VGA
@@Marmite101 why not
And once you learned the force-VGA switch trick it opened up almost the whole library. Now many titles are patchable.
I had the VGA adapter, too. Most games supported it! I had a TV beside a computer monitor (which was exclusively for my Dreamcast). Games looked sooo good on VGA!
I cant imagine the science required to tell if the widescreen in DK64 caused extra frame drops. I remember that game as being nothing but slowdown.
If I remember right it definitely affected Banjo-Tooie since more geometry had to be displayed on screen
Good ending bit, boss! Sega for life, even when it hurts!... now I'm sad.
It's always special when you upload a week early
Wow Joe you went full on with the research and example effects for this episode. Great episode and thank you!
Widescreen was a fun extra to see on various platforms. They really were thinking ahead of time, about the future
That shirt has put the Daytona USA soundtrack in my head for the rest of the day.
Jet Force Gemini is THE N64 hidden gem!
0:24 the last widescreen episode may not have performed, but your street creed is through the roof! Really helpful vids 🍻
Always here for the 2 am uploads, now we sleep!
Wait, what? Did we get some Sack 2 weeks in a row? Joe, you really know how to put a smile on my face! Thanks man!
Yeah we did
I got a friend doing the opposite. He's collecting 360 and PS3 games that work on 4:3 CRT.
That's a good idea!
@@GameSack look forward to seeing it in a few months
@@StRoRo Haha I don't have the Xbox 360 resources for that (maybe if I hacked my 'box), but it is a great idea nonetheless.
Sunday morning here and an unexpected GameSack episode. So nice! And still learning about retro thanks to you. Have a great day. Edit: After finishing the episode, gotta mention that soul liberating segment on the 32x. THANK YOU for that too.
Jet Force Gemini is one of my most beloved games on the 64. It is good. It is unique. It's a great adventure. Hope to see that "review" coming sometime in the future. Looking forward to it for sure!
It is a great game, but a new player coming to it today might find it hard to love. The awkward controls sort of kills the fun and the chugging frame rate makes the experience a little dated. If you can get past it then it’s a… dare I say it… HIDDEN GEM! Look forward to Joes review, I think he’ll like it.
0:23 Really?! It was my favorite Game Sack video topic in a while, kept me watching the whole video. Happy to see this one!
Same here! I'm surprised, but I'm incredibly grateful to see more on the subject. Thank you very much! c:
nice... new sack... good day to ya Joe
Thanks for this video Joe, I really liked the PS1 one.
TrickStyle is very dear to my heart, I played the demo on PC a lot, later got the full game and spent almost a whole christmas break playing that. The christmas tree was next to me illuminating the room, while whacky christmas movies were on TV, like Mixed Nuts. I miss those times...
Thanks Joe. Could never afford a wide TV back then. Interesting to see how supported they were
Please cover Jet Force Gemini in a future episode, one of best and most overlooked games of the era.
Never knew Goldeneye and Perfect Dark supported ultrawide. They were really ahead of their time.
Long time fans will remember Dave talking about Joe talking about that anamorphic lens flare in world driver championship 😂
What great timing, I just picked up a widescreen CRT to mess around with. More games to test out now.
I was curious about old widescreen games, thank you!
Now THIS is actual service for us retrogamers. Thanks as usual for your effort Joe, it's really a treat in this italian sunday morning
Bonus Game Sack? Awesome.
Thanks, Joe, I greatly appreciate these widescreen episodes. Sweet drive!
Sweet! Another great watch. Through, informative and entertaining as always, Giuseppe.
I notice a lot of people tend to prefer to play old consoles that don't have real widescreen (even the Wii) in 4:3 because it looks sharper. I understand that but I appriciate the wider FOV when done right. Also, I enjoyed the Silent Hill music during the end sketch!
Oh man, I was hoping you’d do a video like this. Awesome!
Thank you for making this episode still Joe I for one appreciate it and wanted a video on this topic too!
Your musings on how we talk about aspect ratios was an absolute "u think u no GS... U DON NO GS" moment. I've been watching this show for years and there's always something to surprise in each episode. You've got a pure, glowing heart, dude. Love it.
One of my favorite places on KZhead to learn about video games.
Really enjoyed this one. Looking at all these early widescreen attempts was incredibly interesting. Pretty cool to see developers trying to figure it out back then. Thanks for all the great content as usual!
Just happen to be marathoning Game Sack and noticed this video was just uploaded. Can't wait till the next one, keep em coming.
I think the solution for Army Men today is to shift the image up so that that gameplay window is at the top of the screen, thus preserving the minimap and text boxes. Also, why is the girl army man flesh coloured? Is this like how Sally Acorn has proper female curvature??
Probably because there were no female army men toys & fan service.
@3:49 "Sadly, this game doesn't have Craig Stadler". OMG that takes me back. My wife and I use to crack up while talking back to him in our Saturn days.
Thanks for the part 2! It's interesting to see what companies were doing to try and support widescreen back then.
FINALLY! Someone who understands what "Native" means in the gaming world. Every time I hear Phil Spencer say the word "Natively" I cringe and shake and head and face palm. Joe actually knows his terminology. Well done, dude. 👏
Didn't expect a new Game Sack video tonight- given he posted a new one last Saturday night. But I'll gladly watch it :)
You'll get another one next week, too! Then back to bi-weekly.
Game Sack, the only channel I thumbs up before the video even starts playing.
I’ve been revisiting Dreamcast games so this is very useful
Weekly episode, thank you Joe!
I love these widescreen game videos Joe! When you mentioned Touge King the Spirits 2 for the Saturn, it made me remember the PS1 game from the Touge series called Peak Performance that actually came to the US. I checked it's options and found that it, too, supports native widescreen mode! Thanks for the great content. Love the channel.
Time to rewatch he PlayStation widescreen episode!
There were two more N64 games that offered widescreen support through anamorphic stretching - San Francisco Rush and Rush 2: Extreme Racing USA, both by Midway. In both games, the mode is unlocked via a cheat. For SF Rush there's a button combination to enter on the car select screen, and on Rush 2 it's in the cheat menu listed as Frame Scale. If my memory serves, there are three anamorphic stretch options, but it was done in a weird way where it felt like they just scaled the "Y" axis relative to the road under the player's car, because higher frame scales resulted in worse viewing angles where your car would take up more of your view. It's a weird one for sure.
The Nintendo 64 has more widescreen games than I expected, sure, not as many as the others, but it's still more than I expected, one thing I find interesting is that Nintendo actually adapted Widescreen mode for Nintendo Switch Online to work like a real widescreen mode on modern displays, it feels really good to play GoldenEye 007 this way and they even fixed the widescreen issue on Jet Set Gimini, I hope the other games with Widescreen support reach the subscription.
I thought there was only 7 of them, most of which by Rare.
Golden Eye and Perfect Dark already had proper anamorphic widescreen implementations, they even offered more wider aspect ratios to choose.
Wow! You weren't kidding when you mentioned this vid coming! Thank you!
I watched both of the last two episodes from start to finish! I have 2 Sony WEGA CRTs and I frequently like to dabble with their animorphic widescreen squeeze modes. You are appreciated, Joe! Keep up the great work! :D
Beautiful video, way to go!
Now I'm interested in an native widescreen games for Xbox, PS2, and GCN episode as well
It will be a very long episode.
It’s an excellent retro tv wide mode Technical video. Thanks Joe.
Thanks for continuing to produce great content Joe 👏👏👏
Great video as always Keep it up!
It always worries me when you wear that "Game Over" shirt, Joe. Like it's foreshadowing something. Please, never leave us, Joe!
Fun fact: Crave entertainment produced 1 out of every 2 Dreamcast games released. it feels like at least.
They were the Acclaim of that generation! Or something.
@@GameSack Right, they both made a lot of games you THINK are gonna be awesome, and then they aren't.
Bro two sacks a week? There is a god.
I see this at 22 minutes old, and already well over a thousand views. You're all doing the Lord's work! And Joe...shit dude, thanks for the consistent quality content. Tell Dave he needs to rob you of just one more rare Sega title...we miss him, and his rude outro shenanigans! Peace and love, game sackers!
I love joe and widescreen gaming
Widescreen always seemed like a cool feature I could never use. Thanks for doing this series!
Great content Joe once again thanks for all your efforts.
Morning from France. Perfect video for my breakfast...8.10am here
Awesome video... As always. It's this kind of technical attention to detail that separates Gamesack from the other retro gaming channels. That, and your dry, self-deprecating, sarcastic humour
Always enjoy a Sunday morning cup of coffee and a viewing of GameSack. Had me pondering if any of the LaserActive games had a widescreen functionality.
I love when I happen to be watching Game Sack and notice I’m wearing my Game Sack shirt!
Jet Force Gemini is the reason I bought Rare Replay. It's one of my all time favorite N64 games, and my favorite RARE game.
Nice video, Mr. Sack! For N64 there are at least two more games that support 16:9: Duke Nukem - Zero Hour (Letterbox) & V-Rally (anamorph).
Thank you for finishing the series! As i commented last time, i have a 27" Trinitron Vega with a 16:9 scanline cruncher and S-Video / Component inputs for my retro consoles, and this video got me excited to try out some fun titles! Also as i commented last time, wow, what a bunch of stinkers with flawed implementations 😂...Oh well. The world really wasn't ready for 16:9 in the late 90s... Rare is amazing. Goldeneye, a legendary and incredibly fun game on its own, STILL has one of the best and most thorough implementations of aspect ratio options for any console game ever, in freaking 1997! Perfect Dark continues the tradition with that same engine / codebase, but boy is that 16:9 / high-res 10 FPS(ish) tough to deal with in practice. PD really was too much for the poor 64... Jet Force Gemini is an AMAZING game too! ...well, the first "half" of it is anyway. After beating the main boss in what should be the "any%" category, the game turns into a MISER-ABLE (pun intended) collect-a-thon that makes you scour every level and get 100% of the stupid koala bear things in order to get the true ending. It is a thoroughly miserable experience. JFG wasn't super popular back in the day, and think the ending left a lingering sourness in the mouths of us who did try and enjoy this game, and hence relegated it to obscure hidden gem status in the retro community. I enjoyed it in 2000, i still have a soft spot for it today, the graphics and especially the sound design are top notch for what the N64 could handle. Anyway, i wouldn't be too concerned with the immediate metrics of these videos, it's super niche evergreen content that should continue to bring in a steady trickle of views over the years. There will always be people with retro setups that want to try legitimate widescreen modes for their classic consoles, and it's great to finally have a comprehensive list and thorough coverage of each of these implementations. I really appreciate this series and the hard work here. Cheers!
It seems Rare is several really fun games added a shitty collecting aspect for the sake of it in games it wasn't necessary, but a lot of them have a cheat code that gives you all of an entire collectible item at the start.
@@polycube868 But i liked collecting stuff in those videogames. That is what gave the extra replay value to those games.
@@jsr734 I liked a lot of it, just not mandatory items like the "bears" in Jet Force Gemini, Banjo Kazooie was perfect game design.
This was a much needed video. Thank you.
This is an amazing in depth video!
Jet Force Gemini was one of my favorite games on the N64. I recently played it, though, and adjusting to the controllers takes time.
I appreciate these widescreen focused episodes
It feels like with ratio terminology, when you're comparing the ratio with a 1 it's "to" (2 to 1, 2.35 to 1, etc) and when you're using any number above that to keep whole numbers, it's "by" (16 by 9, 4 by 3, etc)
"You should totally try this game unless you don't want to." Best game review ever.
Make me sleepy? Game sack is typically my Saturday morning routine.
Thanks for everything you do, Joe. No matter how niche or obscure, Joe is here!
Thank you for making this video. I too wished someone made this video and we finally got it.
Loved widescreen options back in the early 00s for my TV
Sad to see that the original video didn't have such an impact. I loved the idea. One more great video
Game Sack has been my go to sleeping aid for years. Love those “console crunch” episodes… who needs Valium when you have the sweet soft tone of Joe!!?