For a while I thought it must be too late to get into the Sega CD. I believed most worthwhile games were likely rare and expensive by now. Of course, like all retro consoles every system has some genuinely rare games but over the past few months I’ve learned that Sega CD games are not as uncommon as I thought.
At last months Game X 2.0 Game Swap I managed trade for three somewhat pricier games and I purchased another four with very friendly price tags.
I traded eighteen complete Gameboy Advance games (Click for List) for the first three Sega CD games pictured below, (Flink, Heart of the Alien and BC Racers) plus $50 CAD (~$38 USD).
*This has been my third time working out a trade with Peter from P Market Games.
After this trade my GBA collection is now whittled down my bare essentials and I’ll be keeping what’s left. I’ll post my GBA collection another time.
The remaining four games I found from a guy at the Swap who was down sizing his personal collection and was kind enough to pass along some really nice deals. The total came to $77 CAD (~$60 USD) for all four:
I paid an extra $4 because he let me swap a cracked case for a nicer one; which was generous of him.
Unfortunately it’s very common to find broken Sega CD cases.
It felt awesome coming home with seven Sega CD games to add to the collection. I was excepting just two as I had semi-arranged the GBA trade ahead of time.
I was also selling at this game swap thanks to a friend who shared his table with me. I actually sold more than I bought and I ended up being in the black; which was a crazy twist that I was not expecting.
The highlights of these new additions are Heart of the Alien, Flink and Ecco the Dolphin.
What I didn’t realize until the sellers pointed it out to me was that two of these Sega CD games were factory sealed; Ecco the Dolphin and BC Racers.
I can’t be certain that it’s true and they’re not just re-shrink wrapped but just in case I decided to record the unwrapping. If these were actually factory sealed games it would be cool to capture how they were originally packaged and what they originally came with.
Edit: More recently I picked up a factory sealed Road Rash for the Sega CD. Found it for $50 CAD (~$38 USD) from my local classifieds. I’ve added it to the ‘breaking the seal’ video below.
Did you notice that after unwrapping Ecco the Dolphin that there was no foam brick in the case? To me, that’s a possible indicator that maybe this game might not have been factory sealed. Although, I have heard that not all Sega CD games came with a foam brick.
I posed this question at sega-16.com and I got some mixed replies. It will be very hard to make a determination unless we start seeing more ‘Breaking the Seal’ videos for Sega CD games. The good news is that it doesn’t really matter. It’s just something fun to explore.
You know what else is fun? Having a kick-ass Sega CD collection. Sure, I don’t have the Holly Grail’s like Keio Flying Squadron or Space Adventure but I do have a good bunch of worth while games.
I’ve been able to steer clear of Full Motion Video (FMV) games because they don’t really appeal to me. In fact, the same seller who sold me the bundle of four games had a complete set of Sega CD 32X games for sale at a super friendly price. I was very temped but I passed them up. I don’t want to end up chasing a full set.
Instead I’ve made a list of the games I’d like to find some day. The ones marked with * being the eight I’m most interested in.
01) Dungeon Explorer*
02) Earthworm Jim* 03) Flashback*
04) Hook
05) Keio Flying Squadron* 06) Lords of Thunder* 07) Mickey Mania 08) Mortal Kombat 09) Prince of Persia 10) Road Blaster / Road Avenger* 11) Road Rash 12) Shinning Force CD*
13) Space Adventure* 14) Time Gal*
*As of the end of 2019 the above crossed out games have now been added to my collection.
Yes, I know I said I want to stay away from FMV games and there are some in my wish list. But in my eyes many of the animated FMV games really seem to translate into better games than the ones with live actors. I feel games like Road Avenger and Time Gal belong along side titles like Dragon Slayer and Space Ace and should be sub-classified as either FMV-Animated or FMV-LiveAction.
Did you know that about four years ago I passed up a complete Keio Flying Squadron for $200 CAD (~$152 USD)?
Has Keio gone up in price? I can’t look. You look for me; pricecharting.com.
Argh… I’m sure we all have a story like that.
Any Sega CD gamers out there? What are some of your favorite Sega CD Games?
On Saturday June 16th one of my favorite retro video game shops put on a cool summer sale. The main event being 20% off everything. I know Retro Game Bros well and I know they already have good prices so this sale peaked my interest.
It was a lazy Saturday for me so I left early and arrived at Retro Game Bros about 30 minutes before they opened. I had no expectations in mind so I was surprised to find a line up outside the store. I shouldn’t have been surprised. My home town of Toronto has a huge nerd population and despite waiting about one hour before getting in time flew by as I chatted up fellow retro gamers.
I was number 29 in line (totally scored a loot bag) and because the store can only accommodate a small number of people at a time we had to wait as a handful of people entered and exited in about 10 minute intervals.
I salute those of you who arrived two hours before opening! Whatever you picked up you thoroughly earned.
As for myself (once I got in) all my money was spent after gazing into the very first display case I walked up to.
The Retro Game Bros prices for Dark Wizard and Robo Aleste are the lowest I’ve seen at Retro Stores and local Game Swaps. I’ve come accustomed to seeing Dark Wizard being priced at $80 CAD and Robo Aleste at $200 CAD; despite pricecharting.com showing a complete Aleste for $110 USD (~$145 CAD).
Combine the best prices I’ve encounter with an additional 20% off and things were feeling very good over at Retro Game Bros. Dark Wizard ended up costing me $63 CAD with tax (~$48 USD) and Robo Aleste rang in at $163 CAD (~$123 USD) with tax.
As much as I wanted to continue to take advantage of this one day sale I felt like I had spent enough and it was time to reign it in. I did have my eye on several other items but they will have to wait for another time.
Thank you Retro Game Bros! The way you guys make me feel is second only to wild kinky sex… or is wild kinky sex second only to you two? I’m not sure which way around, because it’s really that close.
This is my new SegaScope 3-D System. It’s one of three different Sega Master System bundles that I remember seeing in Canada back when the system was new. It was the least common and carried the highest price tag because it includes Sega’s very cool (but under used) 3D Glasses.
There is another variant of this bundle showing a young Dude wearing a yellow sweat shirt and includes Missile Defense 3-D on cartridge compared to this variant with the Dude wearing a red shirt which has Missile Defense built into the console (BIOS v4.4).
The only time I’ve ever seen any SegaSCope 3-D bundle in person (since the 80’s) is on display at retro video game shops. And often on those few encounters the box was roughed up and/or empty.
So I was surprised when I found it locally but not surprised by the high asking price.
Sure, it’s super cool and hard to find but it’s not worth $500 CAD (~$380 USD). It was also a 1.5 hours drive away so I wasn’t incredibly motivated. I sent an offer of $300 CAD but the seller didn’t want to let it go. And that was the end of it for a while.
I actually wanted to offer $200 but if the seller was willing I’m sure it would have sold very quickly at that price. I felt an additional $100 was needed in order to stand any kind of a chance.
After several weeks I made my offer again and the seller wanted to meet me at $400. But for me personally even $300 (~$227 USD) felt like a lot of money so I stuck to my price and eventually he agreed.
The next challenge was dealing with three hours of driving to get it. But when I took a closer look at the sellers location I realized that a very close friend lives in the area. I called him and he was willing to drop everything and head over to meet up and make the exchange. He even spotted me the $300. That’s a sign of an exceptionally good friend. Next time we got together I received my pricey but very cool SegaScope 3-D System bundle.
It’s almost complete. With the exception of the power supply everything appears to be included. Not visible and sitting behind the 3-D Glasses adapter are the coaxial and VHF adapters. All of the hardware is in excellent shape and is in perfect working order.
I don’t know for certain what originally came with the system but there is a manual for each component and for the built in Missile Defense 3-D game. The Styrofoam is not in perfect shape but it’s whole enough and I believe a Styrofoam cover is missing.
The back and the sides of the box have the worst of the damage. There is a cluster of puncher marks on the back near the top and the flaps on the sides are well used and torn in places.
However, it displays very well and it’s really the best condition SegaScope 3-D System that I’ve ever seen in person so I’m pleased that it’s mine.
I will admit that I still feel a little conflicted on how much I spent on this sucker. The other two boxed Sega Master Systems cost me ~$40 CAD (I think; it was decades ago) and $100 CAD for the Hang-On/Safari Hunt version.
Just last week on my local classifieds (kijiji.ca) I found a single listing for three complete Sega Genesis games in a lot for $60 CAD (~$46 USD). I was a fun surprise to see that I didn’t have any of these games.
I was most interested in the Lion King as it’s one of the games that influenced Matt Phillips of Big Evil Corporation in his creation of the newly developed Sega Genesis and Sega Mega Drive game Tanglewood.
I’m actually pretty surprised that the Lion King didn’t find it’s way into my collection a lot sooner. It’s one of several very popular Disney games for the Sega Genesis.
I tried it out and got to just level two where I’m learning there is going to be some serious trial and error here to get through the stage. Both the graphics and music are outstanding and this is a great addition to the collection.
I always thought that Pitfall had some pretty nice graphics and it will be fun to try out at some point. Although it is low on the backlog list.
Pac-Man 2 looks surprising interesting but I can’t help but feel this game should have had it’s own IP instead of using the Pac-Man brand name.
None of these three games are in perfect condition but for cardboard box versions they are pretty good and at $20 each it was an easy pick-up.
For a few years now I’ve had a small collection of Sega CD games. They all came from my good buddy Nintendo Joe who gave me these eight games:
01) Bram Stoker’s Dracula
02) Cliffhanger
03) Demolition Man
04) Eternal Champions
05) Power Factory
06) Stellar-Fire
07) The Terminator
08) ThunderStrike
He found them for $20 USD (for all eight) at a garage sale and was kind enough give them to me. At the time I didn’t even have a Sega CD. So they sat on a shelf and patiently waited.
I’ve recently sold Bram Stoker’s Dracula and Power Factory because they are horrible games and I want to shake the desire to buy anything and everything Sega CD. My goal is to have a good Sega CD collection and not a fat one.
When I started collecting Sega Master System and Sega Genesis games they were very cheap so I was enjoying grabbing any title that I could, but those days are long gone.
Of the eight games Nintendo Joe gave me there are four good games that I really do want to have in my collection (Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, Eternal Champions and The Terminator). A huge thanks to Nintendo Joe for giving my new(ish) Sega CD collection a great running start!
When I got around to really exploring the Sega CD (it was something I never touched back in the day) I kept encountering the system’s famous (or infamous) Full Motion Video (FMV) games. Despite being terrible games they seem to have a cult following. They’re actually becoming popular because of how bad they are. So when people are willing to say that Night Trap is a good game it’s hard to trust game reviews for the Sega CD.
So relying on my own ‘street smarts’ and extensive Sega expertise I ventured out on my own and picked up few affordable games that I manage to find out in the wild.
I didn’t do so well…
Sure, they weren’t terribly expensive but now I know why.
Chuck Rock II Son of Chuck is just OK but far from great. It’s one saving grace is that it’s a traditional platformer; which cost me $30 CAD (~23 USD).
Heimdall looks like it could have been a good isometric RPG game and I’ve read reviews from people who like the game; but personally I find it’s too cumbersome to be enjoyable. I don’t recall what Heimdall cost but I’ll guess it was about $20-$30 CAD.
Microcosm feels like a game that is trying really hard to take advantage of what CD technology was offering but it fell short by a lot. Fortunately it only cost me $15 CAD.
I don’t even remember buying Soccer but I know it was cheap and I’ve already re-sold it.
Tomcat Alley is actually an FMV game which I picked up for $20 CAD. I was weak…
As I get better at finding fun games for the Sega CD I might purge some or all of these titles.
Something that I did do right was scoop up this Final Fight CD for $35 CAD (~27 USD) from a favorite video game store called Game Centre. Like most complete copies the box is pretty banged up but it’s still whole and it’s a great beat’ em up.
The next purchase is when I really started getting serious about my Sega CD collection. I found a post on the Sega-16.com market forums listing four games for sale. They were being sold as a bundle and included Lunar, Lunar II, VAY and Popful Mail. Asking $500 USD plus shipping. Even being new(ish) to the Sega CD I knew these were some of the best games to have for the system. But the cost was too great for me. At the same time I felt it was possible that they might sell.
Several recently sold listing on Ebay.com show that complete Popful Mail’s have sold as ‘Buy It Now’ (BIN) prices from ~$285-$500 USD. And from completed auctions ranging from ~$260-$360 USD. Even PriceCharting.com lists a complete Popful Mail valued at $320 USD. While Lunar lists for ~$100 USD and Lunar II at ~$175 USD. And VAY being the most affordable at ~$90 USD. Add up the lowest prices and it comes to $625 USD. Ouch! So this $500 USD asking price felt reasonable.
I ended up sending a friendly private message to the seller offering to buy them all for $300 USD plus shipping. I basically said if they couldn’t sell the games in the amount of time they wanted they could reach out to me if they were willing.
About two weeks later the seller agreed to let me have them. I had to drop a total of $347.80 USD (~$450 CAD) with shipping. It still feels like a lot of money to throw at video games but I know the seller gave me a super deal and I really do appreciate it.
I’m a long way through Lunar the Silver Star and it really is a good JRPG. I wasn’t sure if the the genre could still capture me like it did in the 80’s and 90’s but it really can. Finally I understand why Lunar is so popular.
VAY is also a JRPG and it’s commonly said to be not as good a Lunar but still a worth while game. I’ve only just sampled it and haven’t played enough to make the judgement myself.
As for Popful Mail, it really does deserve the hype it gets. It’s a great blend of action platforming with RPG elements in the mix. I had a really hard time clearing the first stage but once I finally managed to take down that Wood Golem I found my groove. This game is a real highlight for the collection.
Both Android Assault and Silpheed I bought from the neo-geo.com forums for a combined $140 USD (~$180 CAD). This is pretty much the list value for these games on PriceCharting.com (which is a fair price) and the seller didn’t charge me for shipping which was a generous bonus.
Android Assault is outstanding. It’s everything you ever wanted from a shooter. Beautiful graphics and animations, lots of weapons and power up and massive bosses.
Silpheed is something special. It feels very similar to Star Fox and does everything right that Microcosm did terribly wrong. Silpheed is very fast and smooth and the plain polygon graphics are balanced out with excellent action and great use of music and real audio for exciting combat radio chatter and story narration.
Now my Sega CD collection is really starting to feel pretty good. I’ve managed to get some notable games. At this point it has became much easier for me to sit back play some games and go back into passive game hunting mode.
But by far the most exciting edition to my Sega CD collection is Snatcher. This game typically has a really high price tag. Coming in at ~$575 USD (~$745 CAD) on PriceCharting.com and between $400-$675 USD in recent ebay sold listing.
I can’t pay those prices so when I noticed Snatcher at local store called 7 Star Games I asked if they would be willing to work out a trade. They were willing but they wanted $700 CAD in trade value.
**7 Star Games is the same place I was able to trade for my Pulseman for the Japanese Sega Mega Drive. Nintendo Joe has also done a lot of trading with 7 Star Games.**
I went into my collection and took some time to consider what I’d be willing to part with. The first thing I looked at was my Nintendo Game Boy Advance collection. I had been buying complete and used GBA games for years when the system was current and I had amassed about 60 games. When assessing their value I discovered that Ninja Five-0 had become a very expensive game. Turns out it’s hard to find and it’s a good game that people want to play.
PriceCharting valued Ninja Five-0 at ~$300 USD and 7 Star Games was willing to give me $400 CAD in store credit for it. This was pretty exciting because all of a sudden I was just $300 CAD away from hitting the target with just one game. However, it did take nine more games to get my Snatcher and I am really happy with the trade. Click here to see the ten GBA games I traded.
What can I say about Snatcher? It’s a graphical text adventure that is not for everyone because of the slow pace. But if you’re comfortable with the genre I’ll tell you that it’s a very cool game. I’m guessing the replay value will be very low but I haven’t yet completed the game myself. But so far it’s very enjoyable and just so very cool.
I do have a few other Sega CD games in the collection, some good and some really bad, but this post really highlights the best of what I’ve got. And because I’ve never really paid attention for a lot of years I am surprised to discover that the Sega CD (Mega CD) is actually a worth while add-on for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive.
I’d love to hear thoughts from anyone who played it back in the day when it was new. Or from anyone just discovering it now.
If you’re deep into the Retro Video Gaming scene you already know of these big three upcoming Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) games. All of which might see a release date in 2018.
What is particularly exciting about these ‘big three’ games is despite being created by small Indie teams they are all oozing with massive amounts of potential. To the point where (when released) each title might rival the caliber of some of the best games ever put on cartridge for the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Genesis.
In 2018 to even come close to creating software comparable to the quality of games created in the 1990’s for Sega’s 16-bit game console that had the benefit of larger development teams and industry leading corporations at the helm is a tremendous achievement.
Even now, these three games in their unfinished states display seriously impressive talent and expertise of the 16-bit era that has somehow not been lost in time. As a result hardware that is nearing 30 years old is threatening to stay relevant. The mobile telecom world should take note.
To be painfully clear; these video games that I’m talking about will be released on physical cartridges that will plug into your old Sega Mega Drive (and Sega Genesis) home video game console so that you can play them just like you did in the 1990’s.
What are these big three that are currently rocking the very foundation of the Retro Video Gaming Community?
Tanglewood is currently under development by Matt Phillips who is the primary brain behind the project.
“TANGLEWOOD® is a brand new and original game for the SEGA Mega Drive, to be released on physical cartridge in spring 2018.
Set in the realm of Tanglewood, the game follows a young creature, Nymn, separated from the pack after the sun sets. Unable to get back to the safety of the family’s underground home, Nymn must find a way to survive the night terrors and get to morning. TANGLEWOOD’s world is a dangerous one after dark; guiding Nymn you must use your skills of evasion, traps and trickery to defeat predators.TANGLEWOOD is a platforming game with puzzle elements, and can be described as a mix of the Mega Drive titles Another World and The Lion King.” – tanglewoodgame.com
The games creator Matt Phillips was recently interviewed by Chris Foxx from BBC. The video below is an informative piece which offers a unique peek behind the curtain of this very niche project.
Even though Matt has soundly earned the title ‘Lone Wolf’ because of how much of the Tanglewood project rests on his shoulders he is getting some help.
Below is a preliminary (and wonderful) design of the games cover art for Tanglewood. The artwork of Nymn and the beast was created by the very talented artist Luis Martins; also known as XGoldenboyX around the web.
Its details like actual gameplay footage and the connecting and collaboration of great talent that builds a very strong impression that the final product will deliver on what has been promised. Which I believe will culminate in a professionally developed and fun video game suitable for the 1990’s through to 2018 and beyond.
*If you can’t wait for release Tanglewood has a playable demo.
Formed in 2016 Bitmap Bureau is a small development team made up of at least five contributing members to the Xeno Crisis project.
Even though Xeno Crisis will be their first fully realized game for the Sega Mega Drive (and Genesis) they are an experienced team with over 100 completed projects under their collective belts.
“Xeno Crisis is a new game for the Sega Genesis, Dreamcast, Nintendo Switch and Steam. It’s a top-down arena shooter for up to 2 players that is best described as Smash TV meets Aliens! Run and gun your way through thousands of enemies spread over 6 areas as you attempt to discover the cause of the alien menace.” – kickstarter.com
And just like Tanglewood, Xeno Crisis seems to be delivering exactly what we need to keep interest and faith in what’s being advertised. We see talented team members with the right skills showing us tangible gameplay footage of Xeno Crisis. And I tell you this… it looks very good. I really, very badly, want to blast me some Xenomorphs!
That’s so gross… Blast it!
So much of the mystery has been removed making many of us comfortable enough to help fund the development of Xeno Crisis. How many of us? Well to start, the crowd funding for the game drew in 1,289 people raising £72,569 (over $100,000 USD). And with regular progress updates from Bitmap Bureau; I’m very excited.
“All right, people. They ain’t paying us by an hour. Let’s go, head out!”
Below is an informative Interview with Mike Tucker of Bitmap Bureau by st1ka:
“After more than 4 epic years of development, WaterMelon Games is proud to present its new 16-Bit game: PAPRIUM (code-name: “ProjectY”), a postapocalyptic, outrageous, street brawler…
…Year 8A2, somewhere at equidistant point between Shanghai, Tokyo and Pyongyang, a Megapolis rose from ashes of the shortest but most devastating nuclear war in history, its name is PAPRIUM. BRUTAL, MASSIVE. You will fight your way through the city with Tug, Alex and Dice. Redefine the word justice, deal with the BLU drug temptation, and more importantly: STAY ALIVE!” – www.paprium.com
Paprium… where to start? Well, that’s part of the problem. We have to start at the beginning.
Paprium was first known by its code name Project Y when development began in 2012. It’s now 2018 and the game still has not been released. And to add to the typical anxieties derived from waiting a very long time the lead developer Gwenaël Godde (a.k.a. Fonzie) of WaterMelon Games has almost entirely stopped communicating with the Paprium fan base.
To WaterMelon’s credit; when they hit some serious road blocks they did announce them. Once it was reported that their primary development kit was lost by an airline and more recently funds raised for the game had been seized by PayPal. PayPal, we are told, wrongly believed Watermelon had raised too much money for such a small Indie project and fearing some form of fraud froze WaterMelon’s funds. It has also been suggested that too much time has passed between the collection of the money and the completion of the final product that caused the lock-down. But this is all speculation. The end result was a production delay just as manufacturing was about to begin.
Paprium’s previous release date of September 2017 has come and gone; replaced by a new release date of September 2018. The last official update that I’ve found from Watermelon Games is as follows:
In 2010, we released Pier Solar, the world’s best selling retro game which shipped to over 40 countries. On the 28th of March, we announced the release of our new 16-Bit game : PAPRIUM, a post-apocalyptic, outrageous, brawler. (In the same spirit as Double Dragon, Final Fight & Streets of Rage). This brand new AAA Mega Drive / SEGA Genesis game has been developed from the ground up, to be released in September 2017.
BUT THIS WAS THE INITIAL PLAN… Without acknowledging that – as part of the Indi game industry – we were not suppose to earn too much money by our own ! Within minutes, our fans ordered several thousands games and we will never thanks them enough to be so trustful. However, Paypal, while we had over 8 years of successful business with them, decided to lock our funds ! Why ? are you certainly asking. No reasons were given at first and it took months and two meetings to get one. Reason is “illegitimate business”. An independent game company shouldn’t certainly succeed, especially if it’s about an original cartridge game for a 30 years old game system ! It has now been more than five months, that we opened a battle with them in order to prove by any means that everything is legal, clean. Our fans are real addicts to their Mega Drive / SEGA Genesis, but we are not selling drugs. No avail, they make interests on our funds while we struggle.
We decided to continue the production with our own savings… but the amounts required to manufacture such game cartridge, we are talking in millions : the price to pay to get THE perfect cartridge game ! Even if ultimately, we will finally be able to unlock our funds soon but the bad is done ! PAPRIUM will be late and this is all our fans that are extremely disappointed… and we totally understand them.
PAPRIUM will rise for earth that Paypal want it or not !
New release date planned early 2018. A refund-if-pissed policy has been settled and this is a huge lost for WaterMelon Games – money and trust speaking !” – www.paprium.com
This is actually a detailed and meaningful update. But considering that this update is over 5 months old and almost daily from the time of this update Paprium backers and fans have been asking for more news, any sign of life would have gone a long way to help keep the community calm and relaxed during this final stretch.
I personally feel of these big three upcoming releases that Paprium is the most ambitious. And I believe this alone accounts for the very long development time of the game. I’m one of many who have pre-ordered (crowd funded) Paprium very early on in 2012 and I’m still very optimistic and excited for this game. Have a look and you’ll understand why:
Did you notice? What you’ve witnessed is a fully realized commercial and not just gameplay footage. Despite a very slow trickle of communications from WaterMelon Games what we do get is usually very polished and impressive.
Despite many upset and vocal fans of Paprium I for one am still at ease about this very long wait. I do believe WaterMelon Games is honest and hardworking and at some point we will get this game in our hands.
Do you recall the cover art for Tanglewood displayed above? WaterMelon Games is also fortunate enough to have Luis Martins contribute his skill to Paprium as well. Below is the official cover art for Paprium; and it’s brilliant. It’s an example of the all encompassing quality that greatly contributes to the games fit and finish.
If you’re desperately hungry for Paprium information check out the following interview with Luis Martins on St1ka’s Retro Corner.
It’s a long interview that you might not complete in one sitting but it’s full of fine details about Paprium that can’t be found anywhere else.
*St1ka is very active in the Retro Video Gaming realm and his content is very informative and enjoyable. Check him out.
Will any of these games unequivocally hit AAA status on a 16-bit scale? That’s a very subjective thought. What is easier to speculate on is that when these games are complete I personally feel they will be very enjoyable and worthwhile experiences for both gamers and collectors.
Very recently I was fortunate enough to have a nice dialog with Luis Martins about his work with Paprium and Tanglewood.
Q1) How did you get involved with the artwork for Paprium and Tanglewood?
Luis: At the time I was having a blast collecting for the Sega Genesis. When I heard about Pier Solar , I was impressed and excited that some guys were making a new Sega Genesis game. I decided to contact them and expressed my interest in helping out on any of their future project’s in support for the Retro community. After a great chat with Tulio ( WM president at the time ) and Gwenael (Fonzie) I was introduced to a early idea/ concept for a Beat em UP ( Project Y ). The fun thing was that Beat em Up’s are one of my all time favorite genre’s of games. It matched my art style and love for 80’s 90’s anime and cyber punk. So I was given given green light to join the team.
As for Tanglewood, I dint know at the time, but I also contacted Matt to express to him how great of a job he was doing with his Tanglewood game to discover how he also really liked what I was doing with Paprium and my art. So I asked if he was interested in me doing some art for him and he said, sure! ‘What about the games cover art?’ How could I say no to that?
Q2) Where you given any direction or general instructions as to what the covers should look like?
Luis: Not really, for Paprium myself and Fonzie where in charge of the character design’s and game’s visuals, so it was easy for me to suggest what I wanted to do for the game’s cover. Fonzie agreed that we should have all 3 characters on the cover and I then started conceptualizing and ended up proposing the now final piece.
As for Tanglewood, Matt and I worked together in conceptualizing the final version. But it was simple, Matt knew what he wanted to see for his cover.
Q3) Where did your inspiration and ideas come from for each?
Luis: For Parpium I wanted to showcase a close up of our heroes, it was important for me to showcase them. After all they are the focus of our adventure. Tanglewood, I wanted to give the feeling of what the game was like, a bit of mystery and horror. You can tell by the main character hiding away from the monster on the cover and running away from him in the game.
Q4) Personally I feel the work you’ve done is wonderful. But in a perfect world with unlimited time do you feel there is anything you would want to add or maybe have done differently?
Luis: Haha! At the moment no, maybe in a few years I will say how I could have improved this or that. But for now I’m happy with the art.
Q5) Are you still playing retro video games? What’s the retro game that you’ve most recently spent some time playing?
Luis: “Oh my Car!” Ha ha! Yes, I still play tons of Retro gaming. I’m on the PS4 and Switch bandwagon, I also owned almost all of the consoles, but those that I kept and play are the Gameboy, Super Nintendo, Genesis, Dreamcast, PSP, PSX, PS2, PS3, XBOX and Wii U. And tons of arcade games using MAME.
Q6) Are you currently working on any upcoming projects that are looking to become a physical release for a retro home console?
Luis: Yes, I’m working to come up with something in the coming years. In the meantime, Paprium is my focus but helping out other Indy dev’s with art is also something I’m really enjoying right now.
Q7) I know you’ve done some play testing for Paprium. At that time and in the games unfinished state how good of a game do you feel Paprium is going to be?
Luis: As good as the best beat em up’s and especially good the fact that it’s running on a Sega Genesis.
Q8) Do you have any idea of the current state of Paprium? Is the software compete? Are the physical components currently being manufactured? If you just don’t know what’s your best guess?
Luis: From what I was told Fonzie is putting everything together.
Q9) Do you plan on getting yourself a copy of Paprium, Tanglewood and or Xeno Crisis once they release?
Luis: Of course, Paprium I will have more then one copy of the game lol. Tanglewood, I’m hoping Matt will send me a copy of his game, really looking forward to it and Xeno Crisis I supported the Kickstarter so I will get that one as well.
Q10) Does Fonzie of Watermelon Games know that we still love him very much and despite a lot of ranting we are still in his corner? (*Yes, I do realize I have spoken without authority for many people. Please feel free to comment below.)
Luis: Well, I cant comment for other people or on Fonzie. I have spoken openly at times not being happy about the lack of shared information or progress on the game. I always wanted to share more WIP, images, etc, but in the end it’s WaterMelon‘s decision. Obviously Fonzie is in a position where he has experience in putting a game together; software and manufacturing. But that said, people have the right to express what they feel about Fonzie, myself or anything related to WaterMelon especially if you have invested in it. It’s only normal.
Q11) Finally, I’d love to hear what you’re working on right now Luis.
Luis: At the moment I’m helping other Indy developers with art commissions mostly. I’m also helping out @Matteusbeus on Tomb Of Dracula for the Sega Genesis with some art and working on other game ideas, concepts and prototypes. I’m also enjoying doing fan art illustrations on games and anime we like. So more to come this year.
Luis Martins is very heavily active in the Retro Video Gaming Community. Both in working directly on many exciting projects and connecting with gamers online.
Luis, thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions! We’re lucky to have you in the Retro Scene.
Thanks for your patience. It’s been exactly one year since we started taking orders for PAPRIUM (and a couple more years of wait for our hardcore MGF fans), It’s been extremely stressful year for everyone, we bet.
Regarding what’s going on:
We had an issue with the “DATENMEISTER” chip-set manufacturing which resulted in some last minute changes. I’ve worked round-the-clock for the last couple of weeks to find a workaround and been very scarce on updates, my apologies.
In the next (couple) days we have to adjust the game to reflect those changes. Moreover, in the mean time, there will be an additional round of QC and testing.
Rest assured everyone involved has been working hard to solve all the issues and ensure a superior product. Our aim is to deliver the ultimate Mega Drive / SEGA Genesis game, in time for the system 30’th anniversary.
For people who wait has ran out (well understandable) – as usual – we offer a full refund. Please contact the support at bottom of WM’s magical game factory page for details or questions.
Thanks everyone for your comprehension, and my sincere apology for the lack of news.
PS: We are also sending this message through newsletter, it could take several hours for dispatch, thanks for your understanding.
Update 2018/02/22: Luis Martins who on occasion acts as an informal channel of Watermelon Games has given the following update on the current status of Paprium and hints at a release date.
“…I’ve had some news that some work and corrections are being done to the Manual’s english text’s and that allot of interesting things are in it regarding the game. Also full speed ordering all the parts to assemble the games and making sure all is ready is also one of the last news I got from the horses mouth [Gwenaël Godde], including his expressed will to release the game this year.” – Sega-16.com
Before I wrap up, I want to suggest that anyone contemplating purchasing these games (or any pre-development projects) that you should decide if you’re comfortable pre-ordering/crowding funding and waiting an unknown amount of time before you receive anything in return. Or if it’s better for you to wait until the game exists before putting any money on it. It’s a matter of balancing your tolerance vs. your desire for the product.
My stance has always been something like “Wow! I can’t believe people are still making games for the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive!”. I’m all in and I really want to support this trend.
At the moment only Xeno Crisis is available for pre-order. But hopefully Tanglewood and Paprium won’t be far behind. When the time does come here’s where you’ll be able to purchase them:
Retro Megabit 