Here are two new additions for the collection. Both are for the Japanese Mega Drive.
Osomatsu-kun – Hachamecha Gekijō is crazy. It’s a fun addition to the collection because it’s not very language dependent and it’s so bizarre. The graphics are nice but as a platformer it’s just OK. It actually reminded me of Kato & Ken for the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine. Although it’s not that weird.
Osomatsu-kun – Hachamecha Gekijō
I didn’t notice right away but the cart has some damage. A small portion of it has a white mark as if that area had been rubbed away. I would have said it was in Excellent condition but instead I’ll say it’s in Very Good condition.
Virtua Racing I got because I was curious about the only Mega Drive game that has a special processor(chip) built onto the cart to help render the graphics. This additional chip is why Virtua Racing can’t be emulated.
But like most games that were once amazing mostly because of their graphics Virtua Racing isn’t all that exciting anymore. What I did notice is that Virtua Racing does appear to be pretty smooth which I imagine would have been pretty impressive back in the day.
Virtua Racing
Everything is in great shape except there is a little bit of damage along the top edge of the front cover. Just like Osomatsu-kun – Hachamecha Gekijō I’m going give Virtua Racing a rating of Very Good instead of Excellent because of its small blemish.
Osomatsu-kun – Hachamecha Gekijō – $5.00
Virtua Racing – $5.00
Maybe you’ve noticed that I’m so completely thrilled by being able to play the English translated Phantasy Star Generation 1 for the Playstation 2. If you have noticed, you’d be right.
I’ve been so happy to finally play this game that I jumped online and bought a copy of Sega Ages 2500 Phantasy Star Complete Collection. It’s a compilation of Phantasy Star I, II, III and IV as they were on the Genesis/Mega Drive, in Japanese and for the Playstation 2. I wont be playing this disc on my PS2 but I will enjoying having it in my collection.
My Playstation 2 Phantasy Star Collection
I doubt we’ll ever see a remakes like Phantasy Star G1 and G2 for Phantasy Star 3 and 4 but I’ll keep hoping. I waited 15 years for the remake (even though I didn’t know it was coming) and another 10 years for the English translation and I’ll eagerly wait for the Sega Ages 2500 Phantasy Star Generation 3 and 4.
This new addition cost me $50 with shipping. Which is why I haven’t picked it up until now. I needed the extra excitement before I was willing to spend so much.
Update: If you look in the comments below you’ll notice that justinwl informed me that this Japanese Phantasy Star collection actually contains the English versions of Phantasy Star 1-4. You’ll still need a Japanese PS2 or a modded PS2 in order to be able to play this disc but having the English included is a huge plus.
I’ve never purchased a video game sound track before but I did not hesitate when it came to the Pier Solar Original Sound track (OST).
About a year ago when I discovered that an entirely new game had been created for the Mega Drive/Genesis on December 24, 2008 I was completly shocked and excited. I was too late to buy Pier Solar directly from the WaterMelon Team but I worked hard (a.k.a. threw $100 at the problem) and bought my postarity edition of Pier Solar on ebay.
Had this game came out when the Genesis was current it would have been one of it’s tripple A titles. It’s that good. And when the WaterMelon Team released the less pretty reprint editin I bought the game again. It’s that good 🙂
Even now the Pier Solar hype has not died down for me. So much so that I wanted the OST to compliment my Peir Solor collection.
See how pretty it looks and sounds:
Pier Solar OST
Pier Solar Collection Front
Pier Solar Collection Back
The Pier Solar OST is still available for sale from the WaterMelon Team and for anyone who has only the reprint edition of Pier Solar this OST will have extra value for you. It includes the enhanced sound track which when used in the Sega CD and in conjunction with the cart augments the games sound and music. I’ve read that this feature is a first for a Genesis/Mega Drive cartridge.
Yes, you can download the enhanced sound track and burn it to CD yourself but I’m really enjoying this very nicely polished version.
Here are a few additional details about the Pier Solar OST:
The Definitive Original Soundtrack – everything a fan could dream of! In a stunning packaging with four BUNG-FULL discs, that can be played in any CD player, computer or even your Mega-CD/Sega CD.
Discs 1 & 2 contain the game’s original Mega-CD/Sega CD tracks. Disc 3 contains remixes by famous artists, rare unused tracks & alternates. Disc 4 is our famous Enhanced Soundtrack Disc, the Mega-CD/Sega CD disc to be played with any Pier Solar cartridge!
Also included is the full FM soundtrack in .VGM digital format, for your computer or smartphone.
I find it’s rare to get a chance to buy specific components for a particular game at a price that’s worth while. I remember trying to upgrade the condition of my Genesis Phantasy Star 2 and I ended up spending a lot more money than expected and still not being really satisfied until I finally just bought a whole new copy that was entirely in good shape.
When I saw an ebay post for a sleeve cover for Wonder Boy In Monster World I was interested but not enough to jump on it. It had a starting bid of $10 plus $2 for shipping. It was an ok price but some whole games sell for that. I watched long enough to see the seller list it twice. During the second listing I emailed an offer of $10 including shipping. He waited until the current listed ended without a sale and then took my offer.
Really I was being pretty stingy over the extra $2 but I’ve never felt like I’ve come out ahead when trying to upgrade. I need a little extra something.
When the sleeve arrive I was happy to find it was in excellent shape. Much better than my previous one which had a bad spot on the top of the spine. As you can see circled in red on the first image below. This area use to be mostly white until I colored it black… but it was still pretty visible.
Old Damaged Sleeve
New Excellent Sleeve
My Upgraded Wonder Boy in Monster World
I’m really not very sure any more but I think I spent about $20 on my Wonder Boy plus the $10 upgrade. So it’s now a $30 game and I think I could find it whole and in good shape for that price. So was it worth while? I’m still on the fence about upgrading 🙂 But I guess it’s ok.
Because the manual is a bit too wrinkly I’m going to say this Wonder Boy in Monster World is in very good condition instead of excellent.
The game itself is awesome. One of the better Genesis titles. Great graphics, fun action, RPG elements such as upgrading your gear and a save feature for your progress. An excellent Wonder Boy installment and an excellent Genesis game.
I had Dick Tracy from when it was current and it has surprised me twice now. When I first got it I was pretty sure it would be lame. Thinking back I can’t remember why I chose to get it? A gift maybe?… But what I do remember is enjoying this game.
The game is similar to Shinobi in that you walk from left to right, jump, duck, and shoot or punch. But what brings it above mediocre and into the realm of good games is the Tommy Gun and how it works. On some levels there are basically to plains. In the foreground where you are you can punch enemies or shoot them with your pistol. Enemies appearing in the background get cleaned up with the Tommy Gun. When you’re firing the Tommy Gun you slide the bullet spray across anyone you want to take out and it really works. It’s easy to do and really feels like your firing a fully automatic weapon. Switching back and forth between enemies in different locations creates a great dynamic to the game and helps keep things interesting.
My second Dick Tracy surprise was this game still holds up. The mechanics and feel still really work. And it’s not an expensive game 🙂
This Dick Tracy of mine got the Sharpie marker treatment in a few spots along the bottom of the cover sleeve. It was very easy to clean up but because of this I’d say it’s in good condition instead of excellent condition.
ZOOM! is an ok puzzle game. It’s no Poyu Poyu but if the puzzle genre is your thing it’s worth a look. ZOOM! has a small crack in the case but it’s still in very good condition.
The Kick Boxing… maybe that should be “Kick Boxing” or “The Kick Boxer”? 🙂 Well, we know where they’re going with this one and it seems like an OK game. The graphics are actually pretty good and it feels like this game was taken pretty seriously. It’s definitely not a button masher. Although I wasn’t very good it feels like there are some real solid game mechanics at here. Even though I didn’t notice right away once I did I found it weird that there was no music during game play. But the sound effects are really good for a 16-bit game. This one is in excellent condition.
Minato No Trazia is yet another RPG that I wont be able to play but I still enjoy getting RPG’s into the collection. The video clip below isn’t going to show much… I thought youtube had everything? I might have to get into recording my own stuff. Minato No Trazia has a very small crack in the case but it’s still in very good condition.
Super Daisenryaku. The best thing I can say is it was cheap and in excellent shape. It’s a tactical combat game that’s here to be a back drop for the games I actually like. Maybe it’s a good game but I’ll never know. Only those gifted with the Japanese language could say.
It is in excellent condition and has two unique manuals.
Dick Tracy
ZOOM!
The Kick Boxing
Minato No Trazia
Super Daisenryaku
So again, nothing super exciting but some good with some filler.
Dick Tracy – $12.00
ZOOM! – $5.00
The Kick Boxing – $5.00
Minato No Trazia – $10.00
Super Daisenryaku – $3.00
Plus $15.00 for shipping. Which is less than $10 per game.
For a long time I’ve been curious about Runark. I didn’t know about it when the it was new I only started to get familiar with it during my Internet hunting. On occasion I would see it and it was always pretty expensive. When I youtubed it I thought it look pretty good. I wasn’t able to get a great deal on it but I bought it anyways. It has great artwork and it’s in excellent condition.
Runark is Streets of Rages meets Indiana Jones. Except you’re not digging up ancient treasure or bringing a beat down to the criminal underworld you’re rescuing animals from evil poachers.
Ok, good enough… Plot was never a real concern for the 8bit and 16bit era.
There is a lot of variety to this game. Four Heroes to chose from, all sorts of in game weapons including plenty of items in the levels to interact with. It’s not as good as Street of Rage or Golden Axe and Runark is not afraid to re-use sprites but it’s still a really good game. This one surprised me.
Star Cruiser sucks but it’s in excellent condition and it will help fill up the shelves up.
Wrestleball looks like it could be ok but I doubt I’ll ever give it a real shot. It’s here to fill up the selves. It’s in excellent condition.
Speed Ball 2 is pretty close to the same game as Wrestleball but the graphics do seem to be a bit better. Again it’s in excellent condition and it will do it’s part too.
Runark
Star Cruiser
Wrestleball
Speed Ball 2
As always I’m pretty happy with cheap games that are in great shape even if the game itself isn’t that hot. And thank goodness the one expensive game is actually a good one.
Osomatsu-kun – Hachamecha Gekijō
Virtua Racing
Retro Megabit 