My SEGA collection

Moving to Wordpress

2010-08-21T12:10:00.002+01:00

I've moved the blog over to Wordpress. It'll be a little while until everything's up and running, but I have some rather interesting news and reviews coming soon.

I hope to see you all on the other side!

http://mysegacollection.wordpress.com/

Rez sequel announced: Child of Eden

2010-06-18T00:10:00.005+01:00

Until I finish my Ph.D, my posts will remain few and far between. Sorry for the hiatus, but I fully intend on posting some high quality stuff once I am finished.

Anyway, in addition to the other news from E3, it's worth broadcasting this little snippet of information: Mizuguchi Tetsuya, the mind behind the amazing synesthesia-based Rez (and beta K-Project), showcased his new game at E3; Child of Eden.

Those of you that have played Rez will remember that the AI in Rez is actually called "Eden" and is actually personified as the image of a woman that you must rescue from numerous computer firewalls and other defence systems (man this game is a geek's vision!).

The new game makes use of Microsoft's Kinect system for the XBOX 360, but can also be played with the use of standard controllers. If there was ever a game to sell me on the idea of waving my arms around whilst stood in the lounge listening to trance music during a never ending computer visualisation, this is it.

The idea seems familiar to those of use that know Rez; take control within the computer and 'clense' (some say shoot) the area, which in turn progresses the musical score of the game. Quite novel stuff really. Personally, I think that much as NiGHTS was destined to be played on the Wii, Rez is destined to be played using the Kinect. At least, it has me partially sold on the idea!

Here's a couple of videos for your viewing pleasure. Please turn up your speakers and relax!

Review: Sonic 1 on iPhone 3G

2010-01-04T16:12:00.007Z

Well, after the success of Super Monkey Ball on the iPhone, we now find ourselves with yet another game from SEGA in the Appstore. This is not a new game - far from it. It's a very old game (almost 20 years old) on a very new device.

Control: Well, the iPhone is somewhat famed for only having one button on the front - and funnily enough it's not used when playing this game. Pressing it takes you back to the above screen in fact (it's the HOME button). Being as there are not physical buttons, we have to rely on touching the screen to control our favourite blue Erinaceinae (Hedgehog species apparently).

Going into the controls sub-menu, we see the following;

So, it's all touch screen as expected... how does the rest of the game shape up?

Graphics: As we all know, Sonic is getting on. Many think he's seen his best days. Maybe these were those. The 16-bit graphics look crisp on the iPhone's high resolution display, which is slightly letterboxed at the sides to allow the original 4:3 aspect ratio to be preserved. There is very little motion blur when Sonic is going full-tilt and overall the graphics are true to the original.

Gameplay: Well, this is essentially what you bought the game for, right? Many people don't like the iPhone due to the lack of buttons. When gaming, this becomes interesting. Many games on the iPhone make use of the accelerometer (SEGA's own Super Monkey Ball for one), but Sonic is a very simple affair involving only a Dpad, "A" button and Start/Options. The controls are actually pretty good. When one touches the screen, the button appears to be 'depressed' further into the screen which is quite useful early on when becoming familiar with the controls. You can't be the original pad though, nor the Saturn pad if playing Sonic Jam.

Sound: The sound is crisp and clear, though the game needs to be played with the home button to the left in order to not cover the single speaker with your own hand.

Options: There is only the ability to perform one game save at any time. One. That. Sucks. I'll touch on this in future reviews, but even the most basic emulators out there allow multiple save states. This is another case of the hackers giving the community what it really wants and corporations not giving a damn. It's a shame really.

Overall: I would advise getting this £3.49 game only if you have a commute in the morning, or are a die-hard Sonic fan. If you want to play this game properly, you either need a MegaDrive or a decent emulator, and physical controls. We all know how much we wanted to throw the controller at the screen when Dr. Robotnik killed Sonic - but throwing your phone across the room is more hassle than it's worth!

Another year over...

2009-12-29T00:37:00.002Z

Dear Readers,

It's been far too long since I last posted an entry - things have really been quite busy for me. I am currently about 4 months away from the end of my Ph.D, which has really drained me of all spare time. This blog is something that I would like to keep going for as long as possible however.

I have a few ideas about what I would like to post in the future, so it really is worth coming back to the blog :)

For those of you into the 'social networking' thing, the twitter feed for the blog is located at http://twitter.com/segacollection - so go ahead an follow me!

Mainly, please do keep coming back as this blog was started by a fan for other fans to read.

SEGA!

Space Channel 5 Part 2 Boxset... for sale!

2009-08-11T08:45:00.003+01:00

I have to sell the boxset so I can raise some money, so she is up for grabs on eBay.

I hope the winner takes as much care of her as I have done in my time with such a great collector's piece.

All aboard! (Tokyo Bus Guide)

2009-06-23T10:52:00.004+01:00

Unlike Crazy Taxi, Tokyo Bus Guide is actually a game with the streets of Tokyo mapped out... and you drive a bus around and pick people up.

Easy?

Hell no!

For one thing, you actually have to get to the stops on the right schedule, order and by following highway rules. Only such a game could be conceived in Japan... but it's great fun.

I am a bit backed up with work at the moment, but here's a gameplay video and also and eBay auction where you can win one of my collection copies! Enjoy!

Sonic Team Limited Edition VMU

2009-06-03T13:29:00.002+01:00

One of the rarest things I own - never seen this online before; the Sonic Team VMU.

It's just a standard VMU, but it's skeleton blue with the Sonic Team logo and a lovely presentation box.

Currently for sale to fund my new car.

Ikaruga

2009-06-02T11:25:00.006+01:00

Often hailed as the best shooter on the Dreamcast, if not of all time, Ikaruga [斑鳩] is a clever bullet-hell of a game. Tactics are employed in the use of switching from white to black. When you are the same colour as oncoming bullets, you absorb them for your special weapon... getting hit by an aleternate colour destroys your ship.

This adds for a rather complicated twist in gameplay.

Here's a gameplay video to just show the complexity of the game:

Check out the above video showing an absolute Master of ikaruga!

Rajiruji

2009-05-27T10:20:00.004+01:00

Radilgy or Radirgy, shortened from Radio Allergy, the proposed North American release (Rajiruji in Japanese ラジルジ) is a vertical shooter released late into the Dreamcast's official life; February 16 2006.

In addition to the game, which could only be bought through SEGA Direct in Japan in 2006 (how I ordered mine) is a phone card for use in Japan. This was quite frequent with releases in Japan through SEGA Direct, but seems more fitting in this game as you essentially play a girl (or boy) that has to rescue her father from terrorists so she (or he) can get the medicine for their radio allergy. Mental I know, but this is Japan!

So, how does it fair with the other Dreamcast shooters? (what shooters I hear you ask??). Well, it's pretty solid, but it's no Ikaruga - but what is. The styling of the game is pretty unique; cell shaded graphics (think Jet Set Radio) over VGA really make the Dreamcast seem like it was released in 2006. If you're a collector, or just into shooters; I would heavily recommend this game. There's a really fun soundtrack to the game as well - which is a refreshing change as many shooters decide to go down the 'dark and dismal' route.

There's a variety of button commands, including shoot, bomb and a like of sword attack. This adds hugely to the strategy of the game. The casing of the game shows off some of the attention to detail given within the game. It's hard to think a title of this quality was released so late in the [official] life of our beloved Dreamcast.

So sure that this would be a great title; I bought two. Yes, that's right, I have a sealed copy up for sale on eBay and you can bid on it here.

A couple of Dreamcasts for sale

2009-05-20T20:26:00.003+01:00

A couple of my consoles for sale currently on my eBay account.

Sakura Taisen

Hope they go to a good home!

Shenmue PAL vs NTSC-J

2009-05-18T07:17:00.002+01:00

Where are the sailors? 船員はどこですか？ Whether you ask this pertinent question in English or Japanese, one thing is true... you're talking about Shenmue (hopefully). This game is without doubt one of the best games ever made. Hailed throughout the gaming world, Shenmue is an RPG with a difference. If you haven't played it, go and buy it.

The differences between the Japanese and PAL versions are quite subtle. Obviously, the PAL version also includes some interesting voice acting - but aside from that, the games are near identical.

Not so when it comes to package presentation...

The Japanese version of the game clearly has a larger focus on the excellent artwork and less about brand recognition and an 11+ rating. Online functions are advertised on the PAL pack as this was a big pushing point in Europe.

The backs are largely different too. Similar use of graphics - I prefer the PAL version this time. A nice little blurb in each language, followed up with all of the other info. One thing I think the Japanese versions always win on though, is the column on the right - showing number of players, game type, accessories etc...

Jewel case vs. the PAL format... looks like there's 3 CDs in the NTSC-J version??

Why yes! We not only get the game but also a "Shenmue Jukebox" CD for our aural pleasures, with the following tunes:

What a treat! Typical of a Japanese release - extras that the fans will love are thrown in. As so often is the case - probably in a cost-cutting measure or just because the West "doesn't get it" (SEGA Europe or SEGA Japan deciding?? Take your pick), we were left short without this great little extra.

Here's one of the songs:

Shenmue Promo - Pen

2009-05-13T13:47:00.001+01:00

I have my Shenmue promo pen up for sale.

Go and get yourself a piece of gaming history!

Shenmue 1 and 2 relisted

2009-05-13T09:13:00.001+01:00

Because I was stupid and didn't put the name as Shenmue, but Shemue. ばか外人！ Anyway.

Here are all my auctions, more to come.

Long time no see

2009-05-12T09:30:00.006+01:00

There comes a time when we all need a bit of money. Hell, we always needs some money for something, it would seem. I have a few items in my collection that I would like to see go to some good homes. Over the next few weeks I will be selling a few games, VMUs and controllers here in the hope that a die-hard Dreamcast fan will pick them up.

Shenmue 1: PAL, Boxed (eBay link)

Shenmue 2: PAL, Boxed (eBay link)

Last Hope: Region Free, New, Sealed, Boxed (eBay link)

Wind and Water Puzzle Battles: Region Free, New, Sealed, Boxed (eBay link)

Space Channel 5: PAL, Boxed (eBay link)

Dreameye Camera (ドリームアイ): Boxed, NTSC (eBay link)

and a big sorry to everyone for the lack of posts recently. I'm in the final year of my Ph.D thesis and things are a bit tough, time-wise!

You can follow me on Twitter, as I pretty much post on there daily about general stuff. Also worth adding me if you'd like to be kept abreast of what's going on eBay.

EA's NHL franchise

2009-04-12T17:01:00.006+01:00

Just wanted to make a little post about a game I stumbled back upon recently. I often play NHL09 on my PS3 and I love the game. This weekend I am at my girlfriend's place - she doesn't have a PS3.

I leant her my Mega Drive though, bundled with all my old games. One such game is EA sports NHL (1991) on the Mega Drive.

I was surprised at how well the game played. It's 18 years old. I am sure that's older than a lot of PS3 owners!

Not too much has changed in the past 18 years though. The AI in this game is great, the shot taking is great - the fights are actually better than the more recent games... obviously the graphics are a world apart - as is the sound.

I'd definitely pick up this game for a quick hockey fix though - it's awesome.

For comparison... here's one of my NHL09 goals...

EA SPORTS World: OT goal

Paint it black

2009-04-06T12:08:00.000+01:00

I picked up a bit of a scuzzy PAL Dreamcast on eBay. Nothing really wrong with it, just some yellowing:

I had a can of spray paint that was left over from when I sprayed some wood for something years ago... and I remember how much I loved the smell of solvents. Anyway, I got spraying.Paint that is.

So, all-in-all, I recommend it. Here's the finished article:

Share your modded Dreamcast ideas/pictures/stories!

Samba de Amigo Maracas

2009-03-25T14:37:00.005Z

Olá! Sorry for any followers/readers/randomers for not posting in a while, I've been mental-busy with work. After a brief trip down to the Parcelforce depot in Manchester (in a rough red light district - just where you want to walk with a nice new parcel...) to pay a ridiculous customs charge due to exchange rate bullshit, I picked up something I have wanted for a long, long time:

From My SEGA collection

Yes, Samba de Amigo and Maracas.

The arcade version used magnetic sensors to determine the position of the maracas. As this was costly (with arcade machines selling for £1000s) it had to be reworked for the home version.

The first and best home version is the Dreamcast version. Each maraca has a cord which is plugged into a bar that rests on the floor at your feet. Each maraca has an ultrasonic emitter mounted on its chord; allowing the system to triangulate the position of each maraca - in the same way that the first iPhone used A-GPS for finding its location.

Included in the box is a plastic mat with two brown footprints; which helps the players position themselves in relation to the sensor bar.

Apparently, the maracas can be used to control the character in Mr Driller.

In the Wii version, the player uses the inferior Wii Remote, which leads to a gameplay experience lacking the 'tightness' of the original.

Didn't pick this game up originally, back in 1999/2000 due to the massive expense. Back then, I used to have to properly save and wait to buy a game. If I could have, I would have bought 80-90% of Dreamcast games on release. I only own Forza 2 on the 360 and have a few games for my PS3.

Anyway, Samba!

Plasma TV, PS3, 360, Saturn and Dreamcast

2009-03-10T20:17:00.002Z

I just rearranged my lounge to better focus my plasma television. When I finish tidying up, I will post some photos of the entire lounge, but as it stands; it's a bit messy. Here's a couple of teasers:

Space Channel 5 part 2: Special Limited Edition Boxset

2009-03-06T01:07:00.003Z

Everyone knows about Space Channel 5. Not everyone has seen this though; the limited edition boxset, only on sale in Japan, comprising headphones, pouch and game. Here are some pictures to enjoy.

The box is in fantastic condition. Arrived from Japan in just a jiffy bag - I was a bit scared!

The back of the box has some excellent blurb about the headphones. Worth paying attention to...

Well displayed here; game and headphones. It's obvious what this game is all about - the music.

The headphones are actually really good. They have a strong dynamic range and a good bass response. I must say though, I reckon I look like a right twat with them on. More than normal. It does come with a pair of black pads rather than the fluffy white ones... but... *they keep you so warm!*

Not opened the bag with the pouch - this boxset is minty fresh and it is staying that way.

This is possibly the rarest thing I own...? Possibly...

Hold it cowboy!

2009-02-27T11:52:00.004Z

I mentioned the SEGA Light Phaser in this post. It was released for the Sega Master System, and is basically a light gun, only its design is based on Zillion (game and anime).

Taken from SEGA Nerds:

"A man in Brazil held a 60-year-old woman hostage for 10 hours using one of these Light Phasers, before finally giving himself up to authorities. No one was hurt. Shocker.

After the incident, authorities proceeded to make fun of him for never upgrading to the Sega Lock-on model."

Moved to the Dark Side

2009-02-24T09:05:00.005Z

Yes, that's correct. I'm getting a PS3.

Note - this didn't happen but we'd like to do that to the bloody thing

My brother's XBOX 360 just died (for the second time), but not RRoD, this time it just displays no video out. Some forum-goers are saying that the NXE had something to do with it. Microsoft are saying "fuck off" basically; so we are.

We are both buying PS3s today and that will be the end of our time with the XBOX 360. It's been fun XBOX, but you're too unreliable. I have a 20 year old Master System that was built to last. You're not.

And here she is:

From PS3

Sega Master System - 1986

2009-02-18T14:39:00.002Z

The Sega Master System is a computer console from the "third generation" or "8-bit era" and enjoyed success in Europe especially, where it was a rival to the NES. It was released in 1986 (making the one I own 23 years old), and followed on from the Japanese only "Sega Mark III" console.

From My SEGA collection

This "power base" model comes with Super Hang-on built in as well as another game (more on that later). The more recent Mark II Master System came with Alex Kidd in Miracle World built in, to compete with Nintendo's Super Mario Bros. Alex Kidd became Sega's unofficial mascot, later officially replaced by Sonic the Hedgehog.

The Master System has almost the exact same hardware components as the Game Gear, which actually sold better in Japan. Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 [8-bit] are two fantastic, gorgeous games.

The pad is a very square affair, and only has a D-pad and two buttons. One can also plug in a Mega Drive controller for use in all games, though only the Dpad and buttons A and B will work.

The Light Phaser was a light gun for the system, modelled on the Zillion anime series gun, which SEGA sponsored in the 80s.

It's nice to have a real piece of SEGAs gaming legacy in the west, notably their presence in Europe. I remember being at school and nobody had a NES. Everyone had a Master System or Game Gear (me). It was only with the birth of the SNES that the war heated up...

Katana [Dreamcast]

2009-02-17T22:51:00.003Z

I'm currently doing a little mod on my Dreamcast (more to follow), and came across something rather interesting...

Nothing particularly interesting there, you think? Look closer...

"katana" inscribed on the motherboard.

The katana was the Japanese version of the Dreamcast prototype. There were two basically, the SEGA USA "Dural" and the SEGA Japan "Katana". Eventually, SEGA went with the Japanese one, though both were pretty similar. It's a shame the Dreamcast didn't have a built in DVD player... but it was far too expensive in 1998. Things could have been rather different... but then again, Sega was in so much debt by 1999, even though the Dreamcast was doing quite well, there was nothing to be done against the Sony machine.

Game Boy Micro

2009-02-14T16:46:00.003Z

Skived the afternoon off and went into town. I was in search of a couple of items, namely; anything Dreamcast related, and a game boy micro. According to the monkey in GAME, game boy micros are no longer manufactured - so they don't have any. Not even in the trade-in section. Utter tosh. I hate that shop.

I buggered of the Entertainment Exchange (CEX - try saying that out loud) and they didn't have any either - in both stores. Crap. eBay it would be - but I couldn't be arsed buying one on eBay as I already have a couple of games and just want the system ASAP for some portable fun gaming.

Enter Gamestation. I went to the counter and asked the emo-girl there if they had a game boy micro at all. She was obviously excited by this, as she jumped up and down and said "oooOOh! I don't know! Give me a sec!" so I waited and she popped back with a Game Boy Micro. Well, two of them. One blue and one silver. Sorry, one silver and one "really funky blue" one. The inner hedgehog in me spoke up; "blue please". £14. Bargain.

Time to boot up Sonic Advance 2 and 3 and see if I can actually play those two games. If I can, I can give a little review about them - what with them officially being in my sega collection!

They also had a copy of "Confidential Mission" on the Dreamcast. This was £9.99 and I jumped at the chance. I didn't get it when I had the chance, and now I have 2 light guns, it's a worthwhile purchase. Review to follow soon!

Not a bad little find to be honest. It's always nice getting what you want.

Bargain!

2009-02-12T11:21:00.004Z

Managed to get a bit of a steal...

All for just £15 delivered. Great! Boxes are a bit tattered, but now I can play Street Fighter with a friend and use TWO arcade sticks. It'll be excellent. It won't help me be any better at the game though!

More online Phantasy Star Online

2009-02-10T23:19:00.002Z

I've just been playing with one of the DC fans over at the Dreamcast-Talk community.

From My SEGA collection

Yes, that's me playing on my Dreamcast through VGA with my 42" plasma.

They have a server allowing for Dreamcast play using Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 and either dial-up connection or BBA. I play over BBA. If anyone needs a guide on the whole thing, let me know and I can knock one up. Bear in mind that there are many guides around already!

The best Saturn import games Pt 1

2009-02-10T00:45:00.002Z

I thought it might be useful to collate some of my import collection for those of you new to the scene. It's easy enough to get games in your own territory, but people often rave about Japanese games circa 1990-2000.

The thing is, a lot of these games are now overhyped or just plain old expensive. Let's hit on a few that are great games, but won't break the bank. Welcome to part 1 of my import special.

Saturn Bomberman Fight!

Oh yes. It's Bomberman! What a cainer. Blow the crap out of your opponents. The best part? Having a sleep over? No problem. With a multi-tap or two, you can have up to 10 players. 10 players. Most teenagers these days don't have that many physical friends*. Anyway, this is a great game. You all know bomberman and this is one of the best. Get it!

Layer Section

This is an often overlooked shooter. Everyone raves about Radiant Silvergun. It's often sold for over £100. Sod that. Don't bother unless you are a collector - which you would have to be to pay that for it. It's a good shooter, but overratted. Layer section is pretty old school but feels really tight and can be found cheaply.

Panzer Dragoon

Yes, this can be found PAL for cheap cheap cheap, but... look at the artwork on the Japanese game. Worth the price of an import Saturn if you ask me. Which you aren't, but I am telling you anyway. Gorgeous.

Great game too!

This concludes the round up of the games you should own on your import Saturn. Part 1. Stay tuned!

*complete guess and probably quite offensive. If you're a teen, write in to let us know.

Multi-Mega part 2: Games

2009-02-09T13:26:00.004Z

Another weekend over, another post begun. This weekend, I got some gaming done on the SEGA Multi-Mega (CDX in America).

From Multi-Mega

It's a gorgeous console. A true beauty. If only SEGA shipped this in 199s instead of the MD II, things could look very different.

The system runs the same BIOS as the Mega-CD from SEGA, so it has the lovely start up music and Sonic'd SEGA intro. So, let's have a look at a couple of the games I managed to play this weekend:

Sonic CD

Sonic CD is a strange one. I'm not going to rip off the Wikipedia article, but it does mention some key points. It was a game that was conceived from the original creator of Sonic (Naoto Ohshima) after a bunch of Sonic Team in Japan got pissed off with SEGA and moved to STI (Sega Technical Institute) in America. This led to Sonic 2 and, in my opinion the best game ever made; Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

Sonic CD is often heralded as the "best Sonic game" my many people - but I am unsure if they are just saying that because it's pretty damn rare. Either way, it's a great game involving travelling through time and has some pretty amazing music. It does however, feel like Sonic 1 with debug mode gone crazy (due to the time shifts placing rings randomly).

It also brought us a couple more characters. First up, we have metal Sonic. Oh how I feared him when I was 9 years old! We also have a love interest; going by the name of Amy Rose. Here she is in the game, following a bored Sonic:

and here she is being kidnapped by Metal Sonic:

and here she is modelling the Multi-Mega:

what a poser!

Keio's Flying Squadron

This is a rather cute side scrolling shooter which bares a similar resemblance to Cotton. A very Japanese feeling game - even the score is in Japanese numbers in places!

The music is fantastic and the voice acting is great. It's been done in English/American so it's easy to understand the whole (whacky) story straight away.

This one is also pretty rare - and has a bit of a cult following. Enjoyed this - though I completely sucked at it. I guess practice would make perfect. Or even just "OK".

I played a lot more too, and will return to those games for more reviews in the future. Notable mentions include "Batman Returns" [I remember when this film came out. It was still when Batman was dark and gloomy - long before George Clooney (R.I.P) played Batman. What he's not dead? How old is he?? Anyway...] "SEGA Classics" [Amazed they had classics back in 1993, but they did!] and Sol Feace.

I finished the session off by testing the Mega Drive section of the console. Worked a treat. Popped in my favourite game, and got those Chaos Emeralds.

More periphernalia

2009-02-06T17:20:00.001Z

The pads were one thing with the Saturn. Mark I controller actually came after the Mark II, because the Mark I was USA and European only. It's amazing Microsoft ignored this customer feedback when they released their original xbox, with an ENORMOUS pad. Then, since when did Micro$oft ever listen to anyone? :)

The arcade racer:

From The Saturn Junkyard

I loved mine. I still love it. It's great for SEGA Rally. It's a shame there's no feedback on the wheel (remember which year this was though), but a high tension string could have done a great job or pseudo-feedback. Hey-ho. It's a damn good wheel in my opinion. I'll let you fight it out in the comments.

Then we have the arcade stick. Not bad at all. Nothing on the Dreamcast arcade controller if you ask me, but it still does the job. I got this for $10 inc shipping from Japan.

From The Saturn Junkyard

Work it in my opinion. X-Men vs. Streetfighter is great on this. So is Radiant Silvergun.

Saturn Controller Roundup

2009-02-03T21:41:00.001Z

Illusion of control is the tendancy for human beings to believe they can conrtol, or at least influence, outcomes that they demonstrably have no influence over. That won't be games then!

I thought it would be a good idea to give a nod to the controllers of the Saturn. Sure, Segata carries a massive white (mark II) controller (the holy grail of controllers in fact), but let us not forget the other models:

Name: Saturn 'Mark I' Controller

Regions: USA/Europe

Advantages: Big

Disadvantages: Feels cheap, unresponsive D-pad, not the Japanese controller

From The Saturn Junkyard

***********************************************************

Name: Saturn "Mark II" Controller

Regions: Japan (original), Europe and USA later

Advantages: Widely regarded as the best controller ever made; Great D-pad, 6 button controller is great for Capcom fighters, nice clicky triggers, lightweight.

Disadvantages: Wasn't available on Dreamcast

***********************************************************

Name: Saturn 3D Control Pad

Regions: Japan, USA, Europe

Advantages: Amazing analogue sensitivity. Great for; SEGA Rally Championship, NiGHTS. Excellent triggers.

Disadvantages: Wasn't used to full potential...

The only known project to utilise the pull-out connector was for "Air NiGHTS" but apparently, the Wii version should do the same thing as it's had 11 years to improve... hmm, don't know about that.

**********************************************************

So, there we have it. Not really a comprehensive list, but I covered the main three. Stay tuned for more, this Saturnalia!

Multi-Mega

2009-02-02T18:48:00.006Z

One thing about collecting SEGA stuff is that there is so much to choose from. Even if I were to only stick to PAL releases, I would still have the Game Gear, Master Systems (I and II), Mega Drives (I and II), Mega CD (I and II), 32X , Multi-Mega, Saturn and Dreamcast until I had the full set. That's an immense amount of hardware. Goody goody. Let's take a look at the Multi-Mega.

From Multi-Mega

In all my posts from now on, I will be linking to the main photo album over at picasaweb, so you can have a more detailed look at the images.

From Multi-Mega

The Multi-Mega was SEGA's attempt to bring together the cumbersome MEGA CD-MEGA DRIVE combo that hadn't really been a best seller. The problem with the MEGA CD was that it was an add-on. In general, it would seem people don't like add-ons that much. Or at least, they didn't back in 1993.

Dubbed "CD-X" in America, the Multi-Mega is a fraction of the size of the Mega Drive II even. It's a remarkable feat in technology. It'll work with the 32X too, but SEGA advised against this as the CD door wouldn't open properly and the 32X just made things a bit unbalanced.

Two AA batteries also enabled the little blighter to be a damn portable CD player! Back in the early ninties, this was fantastic. It's only a shame SEGA didn't release this in 1993 as a sequel to the Mega Drive and just advertise backwards compatability. There's a fine line between an add-on and backwards compatability, and I think the Mega CD is the model case of the latter. It's not an add on. It uses only 1 plug whilst allowing full Mega Drive game playability.

It's a great little machine. Head over to my picasaweb gallery and have a gander at some of the games I got with this beauty.

Neo Geo Pocket Color

2009-01-26T16:34:00.008Z

The Neo Geo Pocket Color (hereafter NGPC) is my favourite handheld ever I think. Quite a bold statement, that. I have a Game Gear, which was my first ever handheld, and I love it dearly. Moving into this generation, I have a Nintendo DS and a PSP also. Not really that fussed on them, to be honest. I bought my DS in Akihabara [秋葉原] in 2006 and my PSP from a weird shop in Norfolk... long story.

The largest problem this mini-arcade system has is the fact the little blighter doesn't have a backlight. Neither did the Game Boy though, and I heard that was quite popular... The original Game Boy Advance (GBA) also did not have a backlight. In days of the PSP and DS, people just wouldn't waste time with this device, which is a shame, because there are many hidden gems.

Finding somewhere well lit isn't hard though, and then you can let the gaming commence. And gaming it is. The sound is pretty good, the graphics are superb (16 bit) and the mini-stick (thumb stick) is amazing. Amazing. I cannot stress that enough. The stick on the PSP is utter pig-shite. This is the way it should be. This clicky little number allows you to pull off some great moves and enables you to have total control over the characters.

Another great things about the system is that it runs for ages on two little AA batteries. I use rechargable ones personally, but it lasts for hours and you can get some serious gaming done.

One of the best games on the system is Metal Slug. For those of you that don't know what Metal Slug is... click this. Three other games worth a mention are SNK vs Capcom Card Fighters Clash, King of Fighters R2 and SNK vs Capcom. They really are great games. If anyone wants to see a video of one of the games in action - just let me know and I am sure I can knock something up...

People that say...

2009-01-26T07:51:00.006Z

... size doesn't matter have either one of two things:

a small penis
a boyfriend with a small penis (whom may be in close proximity at time of the lie)

Well, that's enough penis talk for this post. The reason I mention size is because of my most recent acquisition. Until recently (yesterday), I have been playing my Dreamcast on my 15" TFT monitor in my bedroom, and playing my XBOX 360 on my 24" Dell monitor.

The Dell is a great monitor, but having it just for xbox and the mac mini (which is more of a media centre unit) seemed like a waste. So I hiked the Dell into my bedroom. Movies in bed. Ace.

This was about to get better though. Someone at work had just bought a new HD-ready television. How does that affect me? Well, I mentioned that I didn't actually have a television, and he said "want my old [non-HD] plasma?". I said "Sure. What size and how much?". "32 inches and you can have it for free." "Wow... are you sure? That'd be great! Thanks!"

So I went to pick it up.

When I got it back to my place, after all the cuffuffle of getting it into the car (heavy thing!), I noticed something about it. I went into my brother's room and looked at his 32" TV (HD ready he'll hasten to add). It looked... smaller. It was smaller. A lot smaller.

I went back into the lounge and looked at the manual I had been given with the TV.

42". 42". I stood back and looked at the thing. It was HUGE. I did what any sane man would do and fired up Rez HD on the XBOX 360:

Later in the evening we watched Donnie Brasco, an excellent film. On a 42" plasma (THAT I GOT FOR FREE!!) I am sure many films will look amazing. Can't wait to get 300 up on that bad boy.

Here's a comparison picture with the old monitor...

A further interesting point, is that it is a display only. There is no built in TV tuner, so I can't watch TV on it (will do that through the Mac Mini), there is no SCART input, only DVI and VGA x 2 and also a set of BNC connectors for RGB (I need an RGB for Saturn now!). Dreamcast runs well and looks stunning on the display (VGA). XBOX 360 looked amazing (as per usual).

All in all, I am extremely fortunate to have acquired this amazing bit of kit. It fits nicely in my lounge and I have my amp (with 6 inputs) connected, which drives two massive Acoustic Solutions floor-standing speakers. Oh yes. This is how Rez was meant to have been played. My brother made an interesting point last night: "how did we ever manage to play four player powerstone all sat around a 15" CRT?" I'm not quite sure how we did, but I know it was damn fun. Let's fire it up again now.

Cosmic Smash

2009-01-22T00:40:00.003Z

A game that's been playing havoc with my mind recently: Cosmic Smash. It's fantastic.

It 'handles' much the same way as virtua tennis, but the wireframe visuals and boxed-in arenas really give you a feeling of futuristic sport.

The aim is to hit the various targets, and sometimes a blocker will get in the way. (as you'll see from my video - shown at end too!).

The 'commentator' that introduces each stage sounds seriously stoned or something. It must have taken quite an effort to say this in the way he has done. Anyway, the overall feeling is great and this is a pixel-perfect arcade conversion.

Here's Tom with the weather:

Here's a great site on Cosmic Smash, made by a friend of mine: Have a blast!

DC PAL Game Storage...

2009-01-21T10:58:00.005Z

... has always been a bit of a nightmare. I used to have to store my games in a box, as I couldn't afford the storage racks back when they were on sale in Electronics Boutique. I finally got some on eBay...

... and they can stack on each other too! This saves even more space. Unfortunately, I have only got 3 of these racks (totalling £11.50 though - not bad) and they hold 10 games each. I had 52 games as of this post, but I have about 64 now... so I still have some in a box.

At least this way I can put my favourite PAL games close to my mini games centre here in my bedroom. I can then play backups and Japanese games in the lounge on on of the other Dreamcasts.

February: Month of the Saturn

2009-01-20T23:35:00.002Z

As a writer of the Saturn Junkyard, I feel as though I can share my posts there with my own blog. Well, here we are. Mostly the same as the original post - I just wanted to plop it here too.

Saturnalia is starting this February and I am getting things ready. I hearby pledge that Saturnalia will comprise of at least 95% Saturn gaming in that month. I'll be keeping a log of my daily gaming, and will update the blog as necessary.

It's been many years since the Saturn was my main console. Roughly a decade in fact. The little blighter still works, too. I love the way it's almost completely silent (Dreamcast, XBOX 360; I'm looking at you!), and looks pretty hard. Hard as in "I'll kick your fucking teeth in" hard. I now have a lovely modded Saturn to lighten the load from my original '96 PAL unit.

What I didn't want to do, was to go back and replay all the games I used to play back in the nineties. Whilst I want to give some classics such as NiGHTS and SEGA Rally Championship some airtime, I won't be focussing on my PAL younger years... as I have a Japanese gaming collection that's been steadily growing, yet I have hardly played a single game from it...

One of the early contenders is Policenauts.

This box contains the game (2 discs) and also a lovely booklet containing some amazing artwork.

Another game I need to play is Marvel Super Heroes vs StreetFighter. I have the 4MB RAM cartridge, so I am all good to go (it's included in this boxset).

This is a horse racing game/simulation. No idea how to play or what playing involves, but I will stick in in and give it a try. That technique has worked before!

Eve: The Lost One. Again, no real idea of what this game is going to be like, but that's the point really.

Ah, Burning Rangers. PAL version fetches quite a price... never played it. Couldn't afford it back then; can't be bothered with buying it now for £100. Would rather have this nicely presented Japanese edition with Music CD in the back! Result!

Well, that's it for now. The aim is simple. Play Saturn as much as possible in February. There's a chance I will be videoing some of my gameplay... no promises though. It is certain that I will be taking lots of sexy Saturn photographs though, and will review the odd game as it comes along. I have donpatchi and radiant silvergun head-to-head, and a few other ideas. Stay tuned.

Phantasy Star ø

2009-01-14T00:11:00.003Z

ファンタジースターZERO is the latest Phantasy Star game from SEGA, on the Nintendo DS. This fits into my SEGA collection because the publisher is SEGA and I own this place.

As it stands, I haven't yet played this. I can tell you though, that I intend to - lots. I have been playing the Dreamcast version online with a few Canadian, German and American people and I have loved it. Truly great game. Wondering if I should get the XBOX version... (DC version shown)

The Dreamcast version is fantastic and makes use of the keyboard beautifully. It's great fun chatting to people, without the need for speaking - something xbox live live has destroyed somewhat. The dickheads that are online right now, playing Gears of War 2, put me off the game massively. I enjoy mmoRPGs better it would seem, because there are less pretentious dickheads out there.

Anyway, go check out PSø - it will get a review soon enough.

My DC game list - PAL

2009-01-06T00:21:00.007Z

Still grabbing the odd gem on the interweb when I can find it - there's no more shopping in GameStation for the odd bargain now those bastards at GAME own it. Oh well. Should I aim for a full set...?

Aerowings 2: Airstrike
Chu Chu Rocket!
Crazy Taxi
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX
Dead or Alive 2
Deadly Skies
ECW Hardcore Revolution
F1 World Grand Prix for Dreamcast
F355 Challenge Passione Rossa
Fighting Vipers 2
Fur Fighters
Grand Theft Auto 2
Headhunter
Hidden & Dangerous
House of The Dead 2
Jet Set Radio
Jimmy White’s 2
Magforce Racing
Metropolis Street Racer
MTV Sports Skateboarding featuring Andy MacDonald
NBA 2K
NFL Blitz 2000
NHL 2K
Phantasy Star Online
Power Stone
Re Volt
Resident Evil Code: Veronica
Sega Bass Fishing
SEGA GT
Sega Rally
Shenmue
Shenmue II
Silent Scope
Soldier of Fortune
Sonic Adventure
Soul Calibur
Space Channel 5 pt 2
Super Runabout
Tokyo highway Challenge
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2
Trickstyle
UEFA Striker
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Unreal Tournament
Urban Chaos
Vigilante 8: Second Offence
Virtua Striker 2 ver 2000.1
Virtua Tennis
Zombie Revenge

I'll add to the list as time goes by.

Sonic 2

2009-01-03T19:06:00.007Z

The SEGA Mega Drive is over 20 years old. I can't quite believe that really, but then again, I am also over 20 years old. The wrong side of 25 in fact. I remember to this day, the release of Sonic 2. Dubbed Sonic Twosday in the UK, it was a moment in gaming history, infact my life, that I will always remember.

I had a Game Gear first, in 1990, as the Mega Drive was too expensive. All I wanted to do was play Sonic anyway. Sonic on the Game Gear was great, but more on that in a future post. Eventually (1993), we (my brother and I) got the Mega Drive. We had Sonic 2. We had everything we wanted in the world.

1965-09-17. Yes, I can still remember it. It's the level select you activate through the sound test. It's also the D.O.B of someone at SEGA. I can't remember if it's the president of SEGA or the creator of Sonic - but that's not important. Also, after doing that, and pressing A + Start to restart, you can then input 04-01-02-06 in the level select sound test to enter debug mode. I must have put these codes in so many times as a child that they will stay with me until I go mental and start forgetting who my family are.

So, I decided to lend my Mega Drive to my girlfriend. It's at her house. I know she'll look after it. She also remembers Sonic 2 vividly. Must be something about our generation. I can't see the children of today whilstling the tune of Gears of War when they have the odd flashback or moment of nostalgia. Oh well.

I thought I would challenge her to a 2 player challenge - 3 different zones; Emerald Hill, Mystic Cave and Casino Night and then the final special stage. If you draw in a zone, you have a tie break special stage. There's not just time, but rings at finish, total rings in level, boxes broken and score thrown into the mix. After the entire matchup - TIE GAME. Phenominal. I must have put in 100s of hours into Sonic and she hasn't played for years. That's the beauty. It's such a lasting game. Pick-up-and-play. Apart from graphics, it's timless. Futureproof.

Truth is, I blame those transporter 1-up boxes. I cracked open a couple of those and sent her right to the end of the level. Either that, or I let her win. Or, she's just as good as me...

LOCK-ON (Interactive fast-paced action from SEGA)

2008-12-24T11:15:00.009Z

Merry Christmas! Like many others, I am return'd home for Christmas. And that means rooting through my old room or the attic, to see what the 90s brought us (well, me) in terms of SEGA. So, bearing that in mind, I present to you: LOCK-ON (Interactive fast-paced action from SEGA). It's essentially a LASER QUEST or QUASAR (was that just Peterborough?) for your home!

The package consists of a gun (which is very solid and is a great shape), a headset (which is heavy and only held around your head with elastic) and an eye-shield which displays your score to you, via reflection from the headset. Quite cool really. Especially when you're 10 years old I guess. It's licensed by bandai (RPG SEGAGAGA joke in there somewhere) and was launched in 1993. Wow, I'm old. Well, I'm not, but I feel it. I remember running around the woods with a paid of these, shooting my brother.

The game came with a sticker pack, which I no longer have, as I used most of it on all sorts of stuff. SEGA stickers on my school folders and pencil case. I'd do the same now if it didn't make me look like a retard. Or if I had a pencil case. I believe it was £25 for each pack (apparently, poor kids or lonely children could play using one pack - either as hide and seek or target practice).

The website below gives a much better description of the LOCK-ON, I just found my two sets and thought I'd post about it.

http://www.djdrthq.com/rthqaslo

Well, if you have kids, try to track this down, though I guess there are better versions around these days. Takes a 9v battery and last time I checked, they still existed, so it's all good. If I ever have children they'll have loads of SEGA goodies to keep them entertained... or maybe I'll have them in a vault somewhere. The SEGA stuff... not the children.

k-Project: Vibes (Rez Beta)

2008-12-17T13:14:00.006Z

EDIT: Due to popular demand, the covers seen in the below photos can be downloaded as PDFs here. If you like them, please let me know! Once my Ph.D is over I will get back on the case (no pun intended!). I want to make a much neater case design and get back into blogging properly.

Yes, that above is the much hyped k-Project: vibes for the Dreamcast. Rez HD recently came out on the XBOX 360 live arcade. I bought it. I also own the original on the DC. I always prefer owning the originals than these recent "HD" offerings, but Rez HD is actually a damn good version of the game.

As you can see; it's a Beta (top right of pic). As you can also see, if you have the keyboard plugged in, you get this excellent console and the mouse gives you the debug interface. This allows you to change everything from the power of the gun to the way the entire game looks.

Perhaps most importantly, this game includes the track "born slippy" by Underworld. A great track, this was pulled from Rez either because Underworld didn't want to be in a shooting game, or SEGA didn't fancy ponying up the dough. Either way, it's in this beta and it's bloody awesome.

10 years too late but nevermind

2008-12-16T17:34:00.006Z

I've done it. I am sure a few others must have; not many, a few... I did it. I surfed the internet with my Dreamcast. Oh, loads of us did that in the late 90s. I'll rephrase:

I surfed the internet with my Dreamcast's Broadband Adaptor (left)

I also sent a few emails, downloaded some VMU games, read the DCJY and tested image searches on google. Whilst I was using VGA, it's obvious that the web has progressed somewhat from 1999... a lot of mouse work is needed on graphics-rich sites, but text sites are scaled appropriately. More pictures, less talk. If you want to know how to get online, give me a shout. I won't bother with a tutorial unless I get a whole load of comments :)

Ooh-la-la [Space Channel 5]

2008-12-12T13:13:00.012Z

Space Channel 5 is one of those games that I didn't put £40 towards when I was 16 because... well, it was £40 basically. I didn't have much money as a 16 year old, then I got a job. Blew money on booze and Dreamcast games - it was fun!

Looking back, I was probably playing Power Stone or SEGA Rally 2 or something like that. I can't really remember what I played a lot back then. I remember Shenmue and HeadHunter took up a lot of time, so did Soul Calibur. Not sure what I did actually... I know I have about 80 PAL games, so I must have played some thing. Anyway, Space Channel 5. Meet Ulala (ウララ) - said as in "Ooh la la", the news reporter from Space Channel 5. A load of weird little alien dudes come down to Earth and force people to dance, taking them over. One of the cutest if not mental ways to take over the Universe... Anyway, Ulala is sent down to report on this and actually ends up helping out the planet by dancing and shooting the aliens. In that order, or not - depends...

Ulala reports and approaches the aliens, who then say "up, down, left,left shoot" [although shoot is pronounced "chu" 「kana: チュウ」in the Japanese version] and then you have to reply to that in the music, in the same way. Timing is all by ear - there's no computer arrow to say when to press what, but it's damn good fun. The music is fantastic and the camera angles are a pervert's dream (why didn't I get this when I was 16??). Ulala moves in a fantastic way and if you make a mistake, the key of the music changes accordingly. You have a certain number of hearts and essentially you can just keep going and going. It's worth noting that it's not an easy game; you'll make mistakes, though progress is guaranteed if you aren't a retard.

Though the graphics above are through the VGA box on the Dreamcast, it's aged very well and it's as cute and sassy as anything I have played. A game you can play with your girlfriend sitting next to you, questioning your obsessions with Japan as the Japanese woman in an orange miniskirt with pink panties shimmies along the screen in a groovy 60s manner.

This game gets a SEGA collection score of 96% (based purely on how good I think it is).

Sakura Taisen DC

2008-12-11T22:15:00.005Z

This is my Sakura Taisen (桜対戦) limited edition Dreamcast, made by the amazing SEGA. One of only a few hundred (or thousand - it's on the web somewhere), this is really rare. And I love it. For your viewing pleasure:

The lovely box...

So, this is what you get in the box. Manuals, Dreampassport, copy of Sakura Taisen 3, another disk, and a lovely VMU with something about their highschool written on it. All lovely and pink.

So, here she is. Isn't she pretty? I don't need to say much more than she was made in Japan as feels really, really solid. Hardly used since launch (1 日本人 owner), this thing is very special.

Zooming in on that artwork, you can really see how details the images on the front are. There's no way you could pull these off as stickers... they are more like those transfers you could get back in the 90s - you know, when you pretended you had a real tattoo (like a Tails tattoo in my case - good old Sonic the Comic).

Here's a lovely magazine worthy shot :)

So, there you have it. My most coveted Dreamcast - a real rarity. Pristine condition and amazing artwork throughout.

Made more sense than a website...

2008-12-11T21:15:00.004Z

Decided to log my SEGA activity here rather than making a website of my own... that way I can edit from anywhere and don't always need access to the website folders and also - it's less effort. And I'll be honest, I doubt anyone will ever read this. Let's see if I can keep it going into 2009?!

Expect:

Random stuff from SEGA and the 90s in general,

Photos of all my SEGA crap

Game reviews (I have many games but haven't played them all)

More photos

Nostalgia

Comments would be welcome, but are not essential... I know I read a lot of blogs and never comment...