The First Frontier! - September 4 2025 - by: LemonAid
Hanheldssss! The First Frontier. Yup, that's a RG-350 I bought for cheap because it wouldn't boot. Just opened it up, replaced the SD card and closed it back up and bamf.
Wow. Been a Minute. - August 24 2025 - by: LemonAid
It's been a moment.
Wow. I'll be frank—so. Around the time of the last post in, uh, September of 2022. I got into an accident on my bicycle. I lost my right leg. And I am on track to losing the left. Both were amputated below the knee. This has left me basically bedbound and left me in a deep depression, as I have been unable to access my retrogaming hobby from a hospital bed in my living room. The idea is to get prosthetics when I get the left leg amputated. I am also now on dialysis, as my kidneys turned to crap. It's unknown if this is related to my accident or not.
So Retro Handhelds has been my salvation. Effectively emulation devices, tiny handheld computers that have been my connection to my hobby. I've decided that these count, and for the first time since 2022, I've updated my collection page with my retro handhelds and handheld computers.
I'll try to keep updated now, as I pivot to retro handheld news for a bit. I'd love to thank the Retro Handhelds Discord for giving me the courage to make this post. These guys are great. Go visit them.
You'll also notice a name and avatar change. I've been going by the name 'LemonAid' online, where I've been able to for a few years now, so I've been changing the name where I've been able to. Still the same old me. Just with a fresh coat of paint. RockyCoon, LemonAid? Same guy.
What Relatively Unknown Game are You A Fan Of? - September 2 2022 - by: LemonAid
What relatively unknown game are you a fan of? Mine is Namco's Great Greed for the Gameboy, a standard but fun Gameboy RPG. This was also my first RPG video game I ever played aswell, back in the 90's. #retrogames#retrogaming#namco#RPGpic.twitter.com/Z5M7KkTmZB
Awesome Video Games! - November 11 2021 - by: LemonAid
I used to watch this on Newgrounds back in the day and finally glad to find it on Youtube, before the crew that did this series went to a more standard 'Let's Play' format.
A package from DKoldies.com got lost in the mail. Says it was delivered even though it was not. I've contacted them! Hopefully they can help me out. Really just want my games, please. z.z
When people ask me 'Hey what's your favorite kind of retro game?' and when I say 'Cute 'em ups!' they have no ideas what I'm talking about sometimes. So I figure I'll talk about them. A Cute 'em up is basically just any Scrolling Shoot'em Up (Shump, etc.) that also has a cute or 'adorable' aesthetic. Examples of these games are Fantasy Zone, Magical Chase, Harmful Park and Keio Flying Squadron or the Twin Bee series. My favorite is the Fantasy Zone series and the Twin Bee series. If you have a favorite, why not comment below and let me know what it is?
What hooked me on the Fantasy Zone series was mainly it's catchy music, and cartoony style. Like when the main character gets down on the ground, the ship will grow wings and start running. It's kind of silly! I also liked the idea of destroying floating 'bases' on a playfield that wrapped around before destroying the last one and summoning the boss of the stage! Twin Bee has a similar aesthetic though in a more standard scrolling shooter formula when I want things more 'standard shooter' like Gradius or R-type. I also have a fondness for Magical Chase, but I've only played it on Emulators... it's rare as all get out. It's also more like a standard shooter with two star sprite 'options' you can aim separately.
I suggest you check some out, if you're looking for something different than the usual 'space' shooter for sure!
Going Cuckoo for the CoCo! - June 1 2021 - by: LemonAid
You know what. I've fallen in love with Radio Shack's TRS-80 Color Computer line. Primarily the original model (Known as the 'CoCo 1' nowadays.) and the Color Computer 2, known as the 'CoCo 2', as those are the two I currently own. NOW, When someone likes an old, vintage computer particularly a lot, it tends to be because they grew up with it, and have a strong connection with due to that fact. I have no such connection with the TRS-80 Color Computer.
But yet, I've fallen in love with this computer. It just seems so... underdog? It's hard for me to explain. Not to mention that I have yet to find a Model 1 that hasn't been owned by somebody and had their personal touch sort of added to it- whether that be a ram upgrade, or a kit added to add a reset button upfront like my model has.
Also, not gonna lie. I love the multiple 'not at all a copy or clone of' games.' that exist on this system. Surely Ms. Maze is totall legallt distinct from Ms. Pac-Man and Mr. Dig is totally distinct from Dig Dug. Donkey Kong? Never heard of him, is he like Donkey King?
Also, I like the accompanying 'The Rainbow' magazine. It tells me a lot of what the system was like back in the day. Also, what was it with 'Horse Betting Helper' like programs and lottery programs back in the day?
My favorite game is F16 Assault. It's a great, unexpected scrolling shooter on an unexpected platform, and I suggest you check it out. It can be found on the TRS-80 Color Computer Archive- a site I suggest you also check out.
So, one of the questions I get asked is why I write instead of film video or audio of my reviews or opinions? This is more a complicated question to reply to than one might thing for me. For starters, I don't really feel comfortable being in front of a camera. I've tried various times and the video never ends up uploaded or I abort the video mid recording.
I have tried a vocal video before, but it didn't really come out as well as I'd like, and had audio problems. I might try this again, as I was comfortable enough with this style of video. Though I need to add visual elements to the video next time. I have ideas for this, I just need to figure out the best way to do this.
But in the end, this is just a hobby for me. I don't care about 'SEO' or 'hits' or 'visits' too much. I do have some Google Analytics running just as a curiosity about how many visits my website does get- and I have a Twitter as a way of broadcasting outward. But that's about all the 'advertising' I do. In the end, Retrocade Romp is a blog for me.
I am gonna be doing some game reviews perhaps in the future. Perhaps look forward to that if you like visit my personal website every so often!
The Story of the Optical Health 65XE - November 28 2020 - by: LemonAid
A few many months back I obtained an Atari 65xe from AtariAge forum user ApolloBoy. ApolloBoy had originally bought this on Ebay for the price of 85$ dollars. I obtained it from him for vaguely the same price. While similar to a stock Atari 65XE, it had some external differences.
The first was, where there should be an Atari Badge, a sticker had been places that says 'Computer Orthoptics (tm)'. There is also a piece of masking tape on the side with a serial number of sorts: A1511009678. This means at some point in this computer's life, It had been used in a Optometrists Office or similar setting that works with equipment related to eyecare. Most likely to control some sort of machine or machines.
ApolloBoy eventually contacted the company, which was still in business all these years, and got reply from the parent company 'Home Therapy Systems'. They did not have a partnership with Atari, so most likely purchased them and modified them. And speaking of modifications- the inside of the unit has been modified with a jumper to prevent stock Atari 65XEs from running their software! This jumper sits between pins 3 and 10 on the GTIA. This means it pushes the button on Joysticks 3 and 4. Since the Atari 65XE only has two Joystick ports, 1 and 2-- this acts as a form of hardware check for 'Computer Orthoptic's Software' to make sure it's running on their modded system.
Sadly, that's where the story ends when it ends up in my care. It works as a standard 65XE and anything I've run on it hasn't had any problems yet. I am looking for some software for this- though it isn't a priority, just-- some interest on what it looks like.
Just thought I'd tell the story of one of the odder pieces in my collection!
When people ask me 'Hey what's your favorite kind of retro game?' and when I say 'Cute 'em ups!' they have no ideas what I'm talking about sometimes. So I figure I'll talk about them. A Cute 'em up is basically just any Scrolling Shoot'em Up (Shump, etc.) that also has a cute or 'adorable' aesthetic. Examples of these games are Fantasy Zone, Magical Chase, Harmful Park and Keio Flying Squadron or the Twin Bee series. My favorite is the Fantasy Zone series and the Twin Bee series. If you have a favorite, why not comment below and let me know what it is?
You know what. I've fallen in love with Radio Shack's TRS-80 Color Computer line. Primarily the original model (Known as the 'CoCo 1' nowadays.) and the Color Computer 2, known as the 'CoCo 2', as those are the two I currently own. NOW, When someone likes an old, vintage computer particularly a lot, it tends to be because they grew up with it, and have a strong connection with due to that fact. I have no such connection with the TRS-80 Color Computer.
So, one of the questions I get asked is why I write instead of film video or audio of my reviews or opinions? This is more a complicated question to reply to than one might thing for me. For starters, I don't really feel comfortable being in front of a camera. I've tried various times and the video never ends up uploaded or I abort the video mid recording.
