Despite being very eager for the release of Pier Solar HD it’s often hard to stay connected when games are announced and then they’re in development for a very long period of time.
I lost track for a little while and then I stumbled on the official trailer. And I feel it’s looking great. Despite being a very retro style video game I know Pier Solar will be right at home on modern consoles. And the good news is it looks like it’s going to be released on just about everything! 😛
-> PC, MAC, Linux, Wii U, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Dreamcast and Ouya.
From watching WaterMelon Team video diaries and reading their own posts I know they are very eager to announce an official release date but are holding off in an effort to ensure they can hit it once announced. I know they will deliver and I don’t mind waiting.
I’ve already pre-ordered Pier Solar HD for my Dreamcast (via kickstarter) and I’m sure I’ll buy it again for my PS4.
Having already played it for the Sega Genesis I can say first hand this is a quality game. If you’re into JRPG’s have close look. This could be one for you 🙂
In fact, I recommend keeping an eye on WaterMelon Team the developers of Pier Solar. They have some amazing stuff in the works. Specially if you’re a retro gamer.
My heart leaped for a brief moment when I started watching this kick-butt advertisement for the fictional retro video game Starr Mazer.
This creation is by Jeremie Perin and was posted on Vimeo about 2 years ago. As awesome as this video is it still hurts a wee bit that it’s not actually real. I was frantically looking for the ‘add to basket’ button.
Thanks to my buddy EvilKalman who introduced me to the VikingR99 Super System!
I found a nice surprise in my mailbox this morning from Super Fighter Team. Brandon Cobb is releasing two games for the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive. And they are available for purchase right now.
I actually have Magic Girl (cartridge only) and after reading Brandon’s comments I think Magic Girl might have been an unlicensed game when it was first released for the Mega Drive.
“Magic Girl was developed by Gamtec in Taiwan. In addition to translating the game into English, we at Super Fighter Team have also fixed a few bugs that plagued the Chinese original.” – Super Fighter Team
Magic Girl Featuring Ling Ling the Little Witch
Magic Girl Gameplay by the Sega Dude
“It is a harsh reality for Ling Ling, whose heart is filled with sorrow over the suffering of her people. But there is no time for tears, as she must rush to avenge the fallen. Only with your careful guidance will she be able to prevail over the enemy and restore her planet to a semblance of its former peace and prosperity.”
My version is not translated and doesn’t have the bug fixes offered by Super Fighter Team and it doesn’t have a case or manual. For me this was enough reason to purchase a copy. In my short gameplay example above I managed to get to level 3.
I didn’t notice any bugs unless performance qualifies. There was no flickering or slow downs but it felt like the frame rate was too slow or the refresh wasn’t adequate. I’m sure if those terms apply but something felt a bit off. I’m having a hard time describing what I experienced while playing.
The game is not very polished. The sound effects for both your rapid fire shot and sound played when you get hit are annoying. The graphics aren’t great but they’re OK and the boss fights are a bit simple. Not simple as in easy but there isn’t much variety in what they do. And the levels felt too long for what little variety they offered.
You can grab a bunch of different power-ups including a mega blast that hits everything on the screen. This ‘bomb’ is something to save for when the screen gets a little to cluttered with enemies. You might have noticed that I wasted one of my blasts right at the beginning as I was figuring out which button does what.
*Hold A for rapid fire shooting and B for your mega blast/bomb.
If you love collecting retro video games then consider getting Magic Girl. If you just love playing great games take some time to think about this one. It might not be for you.
We all know how rare it is for games to get release for retro systems so for me personally I do like buying them whenever I can.
I really don’t know what to think about Cascade. It’s a puzzle game with 7 levels and a two player competitive mode. Sounds great but from the one screen shot I’ve seen I suspect that it might not be very good.
However, I purchased Cascade because like I said, it’s not often games are released for retro consoles and I’ve been very happy with Star Odyssey and the Legend of Wokong. Both releases from Super Fighter Team for the Genesis / Mega Drive.
I feel like I’ve been very lucky when it comes to the Watermelon Team (Creators of the video game Pier Solar) thanks to Luis Martins. Luis has been doing amazing concept artwork for Watermelon Team’s upcoming Sega Genesis / Mega Drive game code named Project Y. And whenever something cool happens Luis always sends me a messages.
Very recently Luis sent me a link titled Leaked Images of Project Y. Even though there are only two screen shots I was really amazed. Check them out below:
Project Y Work In Progress Screen Shot One
**Update** After publishing this post I got a message from Luis Martins who told me that the artwork and backgrounds you’re looking at here are from the actual Project Y video game and are 100% Watermelon Team.
Luis Martins: “Yes it is legit, all the artwork is from the actual game even the backgrounds.”
He did want me to also say that this is very much a work in progress and things may change or look different in the final game. So you can disregard my speculation as you read it below.
I don’t believe everything you see here is created by Watermelon Team (maybe?). From the videos below you’ll see that during development Watermelon team will use sprites (characters) and possibly other elements from other games in order to see what the Genesis / Mega Drive can do.
Project Y Work In Progress Screen Shot Two
I’m sure this method really helps move along game development. I imagine this enables the coders to work on the gameplay mechanics while the pixel artists work on the unique characters for the game. I do hope the background environment from the first screen shot has been created by Watermelon Team. It’s looks really excellent! I wanna go to the Blue Bar!
The fact that I entirely trust Luis Martins as a reliable source for Project Y and because you can see these same screen shots on Watermelon Teams Magical Game Factory forums and no Watermelon Team member has jumped in to say they are fake I really do believe this is a real first glimpse into Project Y. And it’s very exciting!
In the video below Fonzie from the Watermelon Team shows how he’s working on getting many large sprites on the screen at the same time while keeping the Mega Drive / Genesis CPU usage low. Leaving lots of horse power left for the rest of the game.
Did you hear that?! Fonzie hints at having 16 characters on the screen at one time. If in the end Watermelon Team gets anywhere near that it will be unbelievable.
Fonzie might have also suggested that they are trying to make the best RPG Beat’em Up ever 🙂 Outstanding.
If you still play your Mega Drive / Genesis watch for this one and buy it as soon as you can.
Project Y is going to be all up in your face!
And just for fun have a look at Watermelon Teams Mega Drive 25th Anniversary Celebration:
My good friend over at MyNintendoDimension loves Thrift Stores. And he’s pretty dedicated to the hunt. Which, as it turns out, has been good for me too.
Here are four Genesis games that he recently gave me. I think each cost him about $4 or $5 each. Not all are in great shape but I’m really happy to score some boxed Genesis games. I’m finding that it’s getting much harder to find Genesis games in good shape and for a price I’m willing to pay. *Free is an excellent price.
I loved Stargate the movie and the TV show was just OK. Somehow just OK was enough for me to watch all of it… and it’s spin-offs. And Stargate the Genesis video game? I don’t know. I’ve only watched the video clip below and like the TV show it looks just OK. I don’t think anyone who’s not into the show or movie would spend much time on the game. I’ll try it out sometime and revisit my impressions of the game. This copy is complete and in Very Good shape and it was Free!
Stargate
Stargate Gameplay
Taz in Escape from Mars has very nice looking graphics but the game looks frustrating and maybe a little boring too. I haven’t tried any of these four games myself so this just my impression from watching the video clips. This copy is missing the manual but it’s in Very Good shape and it was Free!
Taz in Escape from Mars
Taz Gameplay
Looking at Jurassic Park I got the exact same impression as I did from Stargate. I looks just OK. I bet the graphics looked pretty fancy back in the day but the game play seems a bit dull. The cover sleeve, manual and cart all have some damage so I’m going to say this one’s condition is just OK. But it is complete and again it was free 😀
Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park Gameplay
Even though I’m not very interested in video games that are older than the 8-bit era there’s no denying that there were some good games made despite heavy hardware restrictions. This is a very nice classic to have for the collection. It’s complete and in Excellent condition… and free!
Ms. PAC-MAN
Ms. PAC-MAN Gameplay
Thanks Jon! I know how badly you must have wanted to sell or trade these games away. Thanks for thinking of me!
He’s also given me a beat up cart of Barney’s Hide & Seek Game but made up for that by also giving me a complete copy of Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker.
We have a healthy Retro friendship. I’ve given him a few games too. Most recently Final Fantasy II, Super Mario Kart, Contra III the Alien Wars and others like a bunch of Genesis and Master System games.
Now that Jon has a site I’ve added him to my Links page. I’m sure he’s honored 😛
On September 13, 2013 Volgarr the Viking was released and it is Amazing. This beautifully retro themed platformer is all about solid mechanics and rewarding gameplay. If you’ve read anything about Volgarr the Viking since it’s release I’m sure you’ve read that it is very hard. And yes, it is. But I’d like to say that I feel it’s perfectly hard. If you persevere it will not take long to understand how you have failed Volgarr and you will learn what you need to make everyone in your path crumble to bones.
Only after a about 20min of playing the official release of Volgarr the Viking I decided to record some of my gameplay. I thought it might be fun to watch someone who hasn’t mastered the game trying to figure it out. If you’re a purist and don’t want to see anything before your own first experience then stop here. But aside from that there isn’t much in the way of spoilers. I don’t know any special tricks or secrets and I didn’t even make it to the end boss. I got close but I didn’t know it. This is just me talking about a game that I am really enjoying.
When I purchased this game during its kickstarter campaign I ended up getting an extra copy that I could give away as a gift. Would you like a free copy? 🙂
If you’re interested in a free copy of Volgarr the Viking leave a comment and tell me why you want this game (don’t say because it’s free!). I’ll put everyone who comments into raffle and email the download code to the winner. *I’ll leave this offer open to comments until Saturday October 5th, 2013.
There are a few things I say that were miss-leading or wrong in the video. When I talk about the shield taking damage and breaking; at that moment I had the Hammer Shield which can actually block any number of hits without breaking. It’s only the wooden shield that will break after two hits.
Also, I believe for the first week of release the game sold for $10 USD. It is now $12. Which I believe is still a fantastic deal.
WaterMelon Team Shop
Retro Megabit 