Zomb's Obscura Vol. 1 - Mecha Beat Em Ups 2.0
- Zombeaver
- Apr 17, 2019
- 1 min read
"The man holding the key to the duration of the human race..."
Zomb's Obscura Vol. 1: Mecha Beat Em Ups has been updated to version 2.0. Retroarch is now used for all games, the shaders and bezels have been improved, Genocide 2 (DOS) has been removed as it's basically identical to the x68000 version, which saves about 600MB, and ASuite has been added for configuration/management.
To compare the old vs new shaders, you can see the old version here and the new version here. It's just a lot cleaner. This affects the Neuromancer, Snow Crash, and Razorgirl shaders.
The 2.0 update sounds like a great improvement, especially having everything standardized through RetroArch and getting cleaner shaders and bezels. I’ve noticed that visual polish can make a huge difference in older games, much like how smoother presentation makes Polytrack more enjoyable to play.
Solid update — the shader improvements on the Neuromancer and Snow Crash versions make a real visual difference, which is exactly the kind of detail that matters to people who care about how things actually look on screen. Mecha fans and LEGO Technic builders tend to overlap more than you'd expect — the same interest in mechanical engineering and precision carries across both. Anyone in that crossover who's built a Technic set and left it sitting dark on a shelf should know a lego technic light kit changes the whole thing — the gears, pistons, and frame detail all read completely differently once they're properly lit.
Growing up on mecha beat ’em ups, I still love that punchy arcade rush. The frustration kicks in when my kids want to join but most titles are way too brutal for them. I needed action that wouldn’t compromise our values, so I gave TruPlay a shot. Turns out they’ve got games that deliver the fast-paced fun without the edge I’d rather avoid.