Retro Megabit

PIKO Interactive Sega Genesis Cases

Posted by Sega Dude on December 17, 2015

Posted in: Community, Genesis (North America), Mega Drive (EURO), Mega Drive (Japanese), Restoration. Tagged: case, clamshell, CustomGameCases.com, genesis, mega drive, piko interactive. 7 Comments

**For Maximum Impact press play**

BEHOLD!!!

UPDATE: When originally writing this post I though PIKO Interactive were the manufactures of these cases. It’s in fact CustomGameCases.com who is producing them.

PIKO Interactive has very recently started reselling high quality cases for Sega Genesis games. This is not the first time after-market cases have been made but in my opinion these particular cases are the first time we’ve seen cases that are near perfect when compared to the original cases that Sega use to produce when the Sega Genesis and Mega Drive were current.

Finally, our wait is over. If you have a few games in your collection with beat-up cases or loose carts with no cases at all now at last we have a great option.

I first discovered these new cases when PIKO Interactive sent out an offer to ship a free replacement case for anyone who had purchased their newly released Genesis game Water Margin. The previous cases included with Water Margin did the job but they were soft, warped in places and the outer clear plastic sleeve was cheap; too shinny, crinkly and could peal off too easily. They were also a bit skinnier than an original Genesis case. In short; they fell short of being a good product.

How do these new cases stack up? They come really very close to being perfect.

Here’s what was done right:
1) The case dimensions appear to be spot on perfect.
2) The black plastic is just as thick and ridged as an original Sega Genesis case; with equal flexibility.
3) The outer clear plastic which holds the cover art looks and feels just like the original Sega Genesis case. And it seems to be securely attached.
4) The hanging tab; it has a hanging tab!!
5) Inside the case it holds both the cart and manual with the same designs as an original Sega Genesis case.
6) The case clicks closed easily and and stays securely closed.

Here’s what gives it away as an after market case:
1) The black plastic appears to have two tones. Parts are matt black and look just like an original and other areas like the hanging tab and the inside of the spine are shinny.
2) If you look closely at an original Genesis case in many different places you’ll be able to see small circles etched into the black plastic. Sometimes you’ll see these on the hanging tab and/or inside the case. Usually you be able to find many of them. I believe they are a bi-product of the manufacturing process. On the PIKO Interactive case I was only able to see one. I feel this is an improvement, albeit a small one, but a difference for sure.
3) The PIKO cases appear to be a little bit darker black. Maybe this is just because they are new.
4) The PIKO cases are sooo new and pristine your original Sega Genesis case just can’t look like this anymore.

They are not spot on duplicates but they are fantastic. To do better Humanity would have to put aside all differences and assemble a ‘think tank’ the likes of which we have never before seen.
I don’t think that is going to happen so I have ordered a 10 pack of these PIKO Interactive cases and I’m very eager to inch my collection closer to 100% hanging tab completion!

*For anyone wondering what a hanging tab is; it’s the bit of plastic at the top of the case. It’s purpose is to allow retailers to hang the game on a wall for display purposes and as a convenient way to store inventory. These hanging tabs were often cut off by gamers as they weren’t needed and they made it harder to stack/store the games. Now that the games are old collectors often want them in perfect condition. I use to cut off the hanging tabs from my Sega Master System cases for which I now shoulder a very sizable amount of shame. The Japanese Mega Drive games did not have hanging tabs until some of their very late releases.

Case Front

Case Back

Case Open

PIKO Genesis Case 04
Lined up with Original Cases

Close up with Originals.

Lined up with Originals

CustomGameCase.com Case with original art sleeve. Front.

CustomGameCase.com Case with original art sleeve. Back.

Looking back at these pictures I’ve taken I can tell it’s hard to see some of the distinctions I’ve described but know that you will be able to tell them apart from an original if you’re paying attention. Also, know they are really well done and I feel they are a very worth while purchase for any collector.

**Click here for my Updated Impressions after receiving an order of 10 cases.**

Volgarr the Viking for the Sega Dreamcast

Posted by Sega Dude on December 14, 2015

Posted in: Community, Sega Dreamcast. Tagged: crazy viking studios, dreamcast, Marc Hall, port, sega, sega dude, volgarr the viking. 17 Comments

Recently while visiting the forums over at racketboy.com I discovered some very exciting news. Not only has the wickedly brutal (and awesome) platformer Volgarr the Viking been ported to the Sega Dreamcast but the developers Crazy Viking Studios have declared that the Dreamcast version of Volgarr the Viking is entirely free.

If you have a Sega Dreamcast and a blank CD you can have a legitimate copy of a game that I personally feel is outstanding. I mean really outstanding. This game is one of the most challenging games I have ever play while at the same time it is wildly fun despite countless deaths!

Very tight and responsive controls make you one with Volgarr. Every brilliantly executed double jump, spear throw and downward stab is a victory crafted by you.
…you’ll also feel entirely responsible every time Volgarr explodes into a cloud of guts and bones.

When I first tried out this version my Dreamcast was hooked up to an older 50″ 720p DLP TV. My first impression was that the Dreamcast controller wasn’t quite as good as my PC Logitech controller. Then when I moved my Dreamcast over to my CRT TV I noticed that the Dreamcast controller was just fine. What I had been experiencing on the 50″ HD TV was a very small amount of input lag.

The only reason I moved to a different TV was so that I could record the above video clip and I’m glad I did it. Volgarr the Viking is very challenging and the input lag would have been the end of me.

Compared to the PC version this port is almost perfect. The Dreamcast does have some noticeable load times between check points but they are short and will not at all hurt your enjoyment of the game. The gameplay itself is identical. The Sega Dreamcast is an excellent place to experience this really well made game.

Volgarr really will demand your best performance. I use to have Stage 1 and 2 down to an art. It surprised me how rusty I’ve become! But the point here is to see Volgarr live on a Sega Dreamcast and for you to start enjoying it for yourself 😀

Free download of Volgarr the Viking for the Sega Dreamcast:
http://volgarr.rkd.zone/

A big ‘Thank You!’ to Crazy Viking Studios for offering the game for free and to Marc Hall for porting the game to the Dreamcast.

Pier Solar Collector’s Edition for the Sega Dreamcast

Posted by Sega Dude on November 24, 2015

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Community, New Release (Game). Tagged: collectors edition, dreamcast, kickstarter, pier solar hd, sega, strategy guide, watermelon. 9 Comments

It was the year 2012 when I pledged $125 UDS to the Kickstarter campaign for Pier Solar HD for the Sega Dreamcast.

Today, just about three years later my Pier Solar Collector’s Edition has arrived. My first thought was ‘Man, this thing is heavy’. Then after opening the shipping package my first impression was a pure and unbridled ‘Wow’.

The first point I want to make is that the quality of everything I’m about to show off is amazing. I have previously purchased Pier Solar for the Sega Genesis and it was then when I understood that the creators (Watermelon Team) value producing a very high quality product. And even now with my expectations set so high Watermelon Team managed to surprise me with this collectors edition.

Below is what came out of the package that I found on my door step. Right away I knew exactly what the jewel case was; my copy of Pier Solar HD for my Sega Dreamcast. Which is beautiful by the way. Packed with a professionally pressed Disc, cover insert, poster, stickers and a fat manual. The Jewel case has no room to spare.

But what are these other two significantly larger items?

Pier Solar? You’ve grown!

Regular Ed. Collectors and Guide.

Beneath the light brown Watermelon wrapping paper I found a very thick and sturdy white box with a flip top. In the cardboard box I found the Pier Solar Strategy Guide.

Some goodies.

PSHD Lots of goodies!

When opening the huge white Collectors Edition box I learned that my edition of Pier Solar HD is print number 595 of 999. I then found the Collector’s Edition disc of Pier Solar which looks the same as the regular edition you see in plastic in the first two images above. But there was still so much more room in this box.

There is more…

…much more.

Over the years Watermelon has dropped hints as to what we might find; including mention of figures. But beyond that I had no idea what to expect.

My very first collectible video Game Mug

PSHD Run Edessot! Run!!

Again, just like the game, the quality of the mug and figures is outstanding. To me the frog and the chicken feel like mascots for Watermelon Team. They are simple yet clever keep-sake’s that really capture the mood of Pier Solar. Of course the inclusion of Edessot one of the main characters is fantastic.

I find it amusing that the first thing that came to mind when I saw the mug was ‘Well, I don’t have the Tea Cup for Panorama Cotton but I’ve got the Pier Solar Mug!’ 😀

The game.

The manual.

Above you can see the contents of the Jewel case (which doesn’t include the figures). The Disc and the manual really stand out. They look really good.

Strategy guide.

Lots of images and text.

Pictures don’t do the Pier Solar Strategy Guide justice. This is a heavy hard cover book weighing in at 446 pages! I really could have used this sucker on my first play through of Pier Solar.

Very detailed.

World Map

And at the back of the book you’ll find a very nice world map of Pier Solar. And in the jewel case you’ll find an extremely gold Pier Solar poster.

Sooo Gold!

Quality is exploding from this collectors edition which has turned out to be so much more than I expected. When I pledged my money I wanted a copy of Pier Solar for my Sega Dreamcast and to support a company that is doing amazing things for Retro Video Gaming… in the end I feel like I made out like a bandit to have scored this ‘literal’ treasure box.

Thank you Watermelon Team!!

**Update**
July 2016. I have sold my Dreamcast Pier Solar collectors Edition. As nice as it is I wanted a bit of extra money for other games. I still have my Dreamcast Pier Solar regular edition and the Pier Solar Strategy Guide… and my Sega Mega Drive Pier Solar Posterity Edition and my Sega Genesis / Mega Drive regular edition. So I’m good for Pier Solar! …I also have it for PS4 but who’s counting? Not me! 😀

I sold this Collectors Edition with my Limited Edition of Gunlord (also for the Sega Dreamcast). I sold both together for $270 CAD. Pier Solar I had originally bought for $125 USD (on par with CAD at the time) and Gunlord LE for about 50 Euro. I certainly would not have sold it at a loss. It’s a great product and I do miss it already.

I’ve since replace my Dreamcast Gunlord with the regular jewel case edition.

Retro Game Brothers Grand Opening!

Posted by Sega Dude on November 14, 2015

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Community, NES. Tagged: Nintendo Entertainment System, Retro Game Brothers. 5 Comments

Retro Game Brothers is a brand new Brick & Mortar retro video game store which just celebrated it’s grand opening today. And, of course, for such a prestigious event both the Sega Dude and Nintendo Joe were in attendance.

What the Sega Dude (that’s me!) did not expect was having to bank roll Nintendo Joe to the tune of $200. Clearly Nintendo Joe was not prepare for the treasure trove of gaming goodness that we walked into today.

As of right now Retro Game Brothers is very light on the Sega scene. There was very little selection for any Sega system. The upside is that I was able to grow my fledgling NES collection by twelve games. Even better still, eight of these games cost me $5 each.

Five Dollars each feels sooo good!

You’ll find nothing rare in the stack above but at this prices it’s really hard not to dive in. Spy Hunter, Pro Wrestling, Ice Hockey and Kung Fu are games I remember playing at my friends house back when they were new. I have a lot of fond memories of them. Specially Kung Fu despite Nintendo Joe exclaiming that it’s garbage. Star Tropics was recommended to me by a fellow dude I did not know who was shopping in the same $5 bin that I was. Nintendo Joe recommended Desert Commander saying that he’d seen it online and it looked like a fun game. And since he had left me with some of my own money I went for it. Thanks NJ!

I’ve always wanted to try out Bad Dudes despite hearing mix reviews.

Thanks fellow dude for the Star Tropics recommendation!

Next up, the final four. These cost a bit more money but they were still very affordable. Nintendo Joe recommended Street Fighter 2010 and Journey to Silius. The other two I pick out myself because I was curious about Star Wars on the NES and the other had an interesting label. As it turns out all four of these games are platformers; which feels promising.

And here are the slightly more expensive games I found today.

Here’s what I paid for each: Star Wars $20, Street Fighters 2010 $20, Kid Niki $10 and Journey to Silius $25.

When I bought this stack of game to the counter to pay I asked for $5 off Journey to Silius which was priced at $30. They were more than willing and I feel I did really well at Retro Game Brothers. Nintendo Joe has an interesting story about a “deal” he managed to wrangle for himself.

All in it was a fun trek with a good friend to what is promising to be a very good Retro Video Game store. I’m sure myself and Nintendo Joe will head back for more sometime soon.

Retro Game Brothers
(Unit #111) 2351 Kennedy RD, Toronto, Ontario

Check out their Youtube channel: youtube.com/TheRetroGameBros

Sega Ages 2500 Phantasy Star Generation 2 in English

Posted by Sega Dude on November 1, 2015

Posted in: Community, Translation. Tagged: english, phantasy star 2, playstation 2, sega, sega ages 2500, sony, translation, www.pscave.com. 22 Comments

In 2005 Sega of Japan released a remake of the Sega Mega Drive game Phantasy Star 2 for the Sony PlayStation 2 called Sega Ages 2500 Phantasy Star Generation 2. Just like the 2003 release of Phantasy Star Generation 1 both of these very cool remakes for Phantasy Star 1 and 2 were only in Japanese. Making them unplayable for anyone who couldn’t speak the language.

Now, following in the footsteps of the previously translated Phantasy Star Generation 1 comes the fully translated Phantasy Start Generation 2!

Again we can thank the Phantasy Star Cave for the amazing endeavor. And truly I want to personally thank everyone involved. Your work will bring some very serious enjoyment to my life.

Just today I burned this fan translation to CD and started playing it on my modded Sony PlayStation 2. Even though I fully expected it to work I’m still having a hard time expressing how amazing it felt to see it run so seamlessly and perfectly.

Below are a few pictures I took of the game running on my modded PlayStation 2 and my 50″ DLP TV.

PSG2 Title Screen

PSG2 Back Story

I had goose bumps looking at this title screen knowing that this was going to be my adventure. And check out that dialog in the second screen shot as it acknowledges the events of Phantasy Star 1 while laying the foundation for the next conflict with darkness.

It’s Alis!.. I mean Alisa (Alis)!!

She’ll be OK.

It’s not long before references to Phantasy Star 1 are left behind but I always loved the connection made by the introduction of Phantasy Star 2. Was Rolf (now called Eusis) aware of Alisa’s lore? Or was he connected to her in someway through ancestry or was he possibly the next chosen one? I always loved this link between these two Heroes who were separated by one thousand years.

Life is about to get complicated.

Lov’in the new Artwork.

It’s the same classic Phantasy Star 2 game but everything has been remade with new graphics, cut scenes and much fuller dialog. This is something I’ve wanted for a very long time. It’s just… so… awesome 😀

Still can’t believe I can play this now!

Combat!

Personally I feel everything looks fantastic. It’s a full make over without changing the heart of the game. And don’t you worry about those Biting Ants; I smoked em!

Yup, that’s all English.

Thank you Internet!

I know Phantasy Star 2 well but this remake will feel like an all new experience. I’m very excited to dive in and save Algo all over again!

For any Phantasy Star fan out there this is a must play game. If you don’t have a modded PlayStation 2 then don’t hesitate to use an emulator. Play it and enjoy it while we wait for an official English release. I know that’s unlikely but for the record I would buy these games in any form should Sega decide to give them some love.

In the release notes I found the people who contributed to this outstanding project and again you have my deepest thanks for bringing the community something so fantastic. Thank you all!

Translation Credits

Programming & Assembly:
Tryphon
RodolfoRG
CUE

Translation:
Kyence
Hiei-
Olivier
Carl Broadhurst
Shinto-Cetra

Graphics Modifications:
Kyence
Hiei-
Lyan
M.Klein & Iconian Font

Correction:
Kyence
The Sonic Titan
skymandr

Beta:
Hiei-
Runehasa

Patcher: Hiei-

Special_Thanks:
PSCAVE Forum, for all of the help with figuring out the Japanese pronunciations were non-English words, and the huge amount of support!
Wolfgang Landgraf (http://www.wolfgangarchive.com/psg2-web/index.html)
Taelus, for helping out during the translation
Missagh Alami, for hosting the files and spreading the word
Joshua MacDonald, the author of xdelta

Be sure to stop by the Phantasy Star Cave for all the details.
http://www.pscave.com/psg2/download/

Still don’t know what I’m talking about? Have a look at this non translated version below to get an idea of what the game is like:

VGCC Video Game Swap (Fall 2015)

Posted by Sega Dude on October 20, 2015

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Community, Games, Genesis (North America). Tagged: fall 2015, Garfield Caught in the Act, genesis, Joe & Mac, sega, video game swap, View Point, waterloo, Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits. 4 Comments

On September 20th, 2015 Nintendo Joe and I hit up the VGCC Video Game Swap in the city of Waterloo and even though I did not come home with a massive bounty it was still a fun adventure.

Nintendo Joe passed on a chance to buy the super rare “Flintstones: Surprise at Dinosaur Peak” for the NES. You can read all about his cop-out here.

As for me; the first game shown below is my favorite score. I actually came pretty close to passing it up. The seller wanted $45 and he would not budge on the price and I didn’t feel like dropping $45 on a single game. However, I had brought with me a Sega Genesis game called Zero Tolerance for trade. It was complete and in good shape but unfortunately not worth a lot of money. I gave it to this seller along with $35 and I got my complete Very Good condition Joe & Mac.

Joe & Mac

From what I’d seen of Joe & Mac before owning it was that the graphics look very good and the game looks like a typical platformer. When playing it I discovered is it’s pretty hard but fair. I got to the 2nd boss and I noticed that the levels are short. The game feels bit like a boss rush. I spent a lot more time fighting bosses than I did getting through the stage to the boss encounter. I really like Joe & Mac and I’m very happy to have it in the collection.

View Point

Next up is Viewpoint. I only recognized the game because I know it’s on the Neo Geo. I didn’t realize that it was ported to the Sega Genesis (which it was). I haven’t tried this one yet but when I do I hope I don’t like it because if I do I know I’ll want the much more expensive Neo Geo MVS version.

Garfield Caught in the Act

When I found Viewpoint the seller also had Garfield Caught in the Act and Williams Arcade’s Greatest Hits. Not exciting but in good shape and inexpensive.

Williams Arcade’s Greatest Hits

Viewpoint was priced at $20, Garfield at $10. I offered $30 for all three games and that’s how it went down. So all in for my four new games I spent $16.25 each plus one Genesis game in trade. That’s a job well done I say 😀