Retro Megabit

OK, this is something real special. How often do you get a chance to own a video game sound track on cartridge? Not often… not often at all. Almost never actually.

Have a look at the Tanglewood OST with its beautiful red (orange?) cartridge for play on your original Sega Genesis and Sega Mega Drive. This is a sight you won’t see often!

In addition to the OST cartridge you might have noticed a set of 10 Tanglewood themed Post Cards.

Normally you’d only get one random Tanglewood Post Card in every physical copy of Tanglewood the game from Matt Phillips’ Tanglewood Kickstarter campaign. The full set of ten was only available to those who purchased the collectors edition. A true gem that I could not afford at the time.

So how did I end up with a full Post Card set?

Courtesy of a very close friend who reached out to the creator Matt Phillips of Big Evil Corporation and asked if he could buy a set for me.

Not only was Matt willing but he went one step further and included a free OST cartridge as well. When I received this packaged I was truly beside myself. I like very niche things. Things that are incredibly hard for family and friends to deduce. And my buddy nailed it… in a very big way.

Thank you RamboRy!

How good is this 16-bit video game sound track by freezedream?
Oh, it’s good. It’s very good.

The very first track is the Tanglewood theme and it sets a serene and calming mood. Conjuring images of the fairy tale ending you’ll want to earn for our fury friends; Nymn and Echo.

If I had to choose, I’d say my favourite songs would be tracks #20 (So long) and #21 (Deadwood). Not only are they incredible songs in their own right but they play at a very pivotal storytelling moment in the game and they are major contributors to a very emotional moment of loss and enduring.

Below is a recording I captured of the entire OST playing from my original model 1 Sega Genesis. Have a listen!

Unfortunately the Tanglewood cartridge OST is sold out at the time this post was published.
But a digital version is available over at freezedream.bandcamp.

Haven’t heard of Tanglewood? Read my spoiler free review here: Tanglewood 16-bit Perfection.

And have a peak at my Tanglewood longplay:

Honestly, if you’re a retro gamer you need to get your hands on Tanglewood.

Sega Game Gear Micro. Sega Celebrates it’s 60th Anniversary!

Posted by Sega Dude on June 3, 2020

Posted in: Community, Hardware, SEGA. Tagged: 60th Anniversary, game gear, Game Gear Micro, sega. 7 Comments

Happy 60th’s Anniversary Sega! Thank you for all you do!

And what an incredibly fun way to celebrate with a micro version of Sega’s Game Gear.

We don’t have all the details yet but I feel Sega is off to a great start. The Game Gear Micro will retail for about $46 USD, with a release date of October 6th, 2020 and will be available in four different colours (black, blue, yellow and red).

And, yeah, it’s… small. Really small. In fact it would appear to be very appropriately named.

Each version is shown with a different game; including Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic & Tails, Shinning Force and Last Bible.

Does this mean each colour variant Game Gear Micro will come with only one game or will each Game Gear come with all four of these games regardless of it’s colour?

Certainly we’re all hoping this early tease is not the whole show. Of course we’re all expecting every Game Gear Micro to come with the same library of games and for that library to include many games. Hopefully the game count will be similar to the Sega Genesis Mini and Sega Mega Drive Mini. Even if it fall short and launches with 20+ games I think I’d be content.

I’d love to hear your thoughts. Are you Excited for the Sega Game Gear Micro?

Pick-Ups – Boxed Sega Genesis, Round Two!

Posted by Sega Dude on May 26, 2020

Posted in: Games, Genesis (North America), Hardware, SEGA. Tagged: Altered Beast, boxed, genesis, Model 1, original, retail, sega. 6 Comments

Say hello to my boxed Sega Genesis. This was my last retro pick-up before COVID-19 put Canada on lock-down.

It was actually full on Winter when Nintendo Joe and myself visited Retro Game Bros.; where I made this purchase. I was on the hunt for some affordable boxed NES and SNES games when I noticed this boxed ‘launch edition’ Sega Genesis. “Launch Edition” wasn’t a thing back in the day but what was important to me is that this is the packaging variant I got as a kid. (“Variant” also wasn’t a thing back in the 90’s.)

I already had a very similar boxed Genesis but the condition of this replacement is much better and I could not resist. When I asked for the price the Retro Game Bros. asked me to offer a fair price and after seeing a ‘sold listing’ for a similar boxed Genesis for $150 USD that is what I offered; which was about $200 CAD at the time. Knowing that I’d have my previous boxed Genesis to sell helped make this an easy purchase.

My new boxed Genesis (above) is compete with everything: console, hook-ups, game pad, Altered Beast, adapters, manual and a Golden Axe poster. All in really great condition!

If you look close you can see the original retail price of $189.99. Because it’s says Kay Bee Toys I’m pretty sure that price tag is in USD. I don’t think Kay Bee Toys ever made it to Canada. $189.99 is the launch day price of the Genesis in the US which makes me believe this is a pretty early release; not that it’s particularly important but just cool trivia.

My now dethroned boxed Genesis you can see below. It’s OK. The hardware is in very good shape. It’s only the box that’s a bit battered. This one cost me $40 CAD (~$30 USD) years ago.

This variant is actually pretty interesting. I believe this is one of the last Altered Beasts boxes to sell at retail. You can see a black sticker stating ‘Game Cartridge Not Included, Sold Separately.’ It’s placed right over the area of the box that says (if it was visible) “Included Arcade Hit Altered Beast”. I image when Sega was slowing down on the Altered Beast bundle they had more consoles to unload before moving onto new packaging and new bundles.

I had no idea how satisfying this upgrade would be. I was pretty content with the battered and beat-up box but now that I have a new champ I find it very gratifying!

For kicks have a look at why I don’t bother with eBay anymore; here’s what some serious gougers feel this same boxed Genesis is worth:

Between $800-$2,800 CAD (~$600-$2,000USD) Really?! This is why I haven’t had an eBay account since Dec. 2016. And I don’t miss it at all.

What did Nintendo Joe end up scoring at Retro Game Bros.? He purchased a used copy of Metroid: Samus Returns for his Nintendo 3DS. And like a good lad he’s already beaten it.

Go visit Nintendo Joe at his Instagram NintendoJoe1985 and MyNintendoDimension.

Pick-ups – CIB NES. It has begun!

Posted by Sega Dude on February 4, 2020

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, NES, Nintendo. Tagged: CIB, Excite Bike, Ice Hockey, legendary wings, Mario Bros., NES, nintendo, Super C. 5 Comments

So, I’ve jump down yet another rabbit hole.

As I’ve been down sizing my Super Nintendo and NES collection the idea has started to grown in my head that I’d like to get the games I really want in my collection ‘complete in box’ (CIB). This past weekend I now have my first five CIB NES games.

And thanks to Retro Game Bros. it was so much easier than I expected!

I already have most of the NES titles I want, but they are loose cartridges (some with their manual). Finding just a box for sale is really hard to do. I thought I’d be stuck re-buying games just to get a box. But as I was browsing and chatting at Retro Games Bros. I was told they would be more than happy to take a cartridge out of a complete game and sell me just the box and manual. This is a first for me!

I’m not sure how long I stood there blinking but when the shell shock wore off I pulled a few games off the shelf. And what Retro Game Bros. did was subtract the value of the cartridge from the price and I ended up with the following:

Super Mario Bros. 3 box and instructions cost me $30 CAD (~$26 USD). Because Nintendo decided to go with cardboard boxes and because of the age of these games I’ve set my expectation that my NES collection will not be as pristine as my Sega collection. Which I’m content with and as you can see my new CIB Super Mario Bros. which is not mint is still in really good shape.

Hey, did you notice that black circular sticker at the top edge of my Super Mario Bros.? According to Wata Games that little variant is going to be worth millions and retire me! I can’t hardly wait…

OK, yes, Super C is not quite as exciting as the original Contra but this box and manual was still a great score at $35 CAD (~$26 USD). The condition is not quite as good as the above Super Mario Bros. 3. But it is good and hopefully someday it will be joined by Contra!

Who knew Excitebike was getting harder to find complete? Just like the Mario games Excitebike holds a lot of nostalgia for me. It is such a fun game! Nintendo has always been great at finding really fun game mechanics. This Excitebike box and manual cast me $40 CAD (~$30 USD) and again you can see these games are far from mint but I don’t mind at all.

Legendary Wings wasn’t on my short list of NES games that I want but it is a good game and for $20 CAD (~$15 USD) for this box and manual I couldn’t pass it up.

Believe it or not Ice Hockey was on the short list of must have games. Like the Mario games and Excitebike it holds a lot of nostalgia for being one of the first games I played at a friend house when the NES was new. Also, with a price tag of FREE there’s no downside here! Thanks Retro Game Bros.!

Ice Hockey had a few Toys R Us stickers and I was OK with them being there as there from the games original retail days. But in the end I decided to try and remove them. Armed with my wife’s hair dryer I went to town. It took a really long time. These stickers were old and that glue did not want to let go.

But with lots of patience’s it worked out very well. Once the stickers were removed there was some residue left over. I applied a very tiny amount of WD-40 to a paper towel and gently rubbed away the residue. This worked because the cardboard boxes are glossy. This would not work on plain paper like a game manual.

Here’s the short list of my NES games I’d like to make CIB someday:

Baseball
Castlevania
Contra
Ghost ‘n Gobins
Kung Fu
Metroid
Punchout (Any version)
Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros. 2
The Legend of Zelda
The Adventure of Link

What does CIB mean for you?

For me I’m happy with Cartridge, Instruction Booklet and box. I believe for some CIB means Complete in Box. And does your version of ‘complete’ mean absolutely everything that came with the game originally (dust cover, plastic bag, pamphlets, etc)?

Raising the Bar and Downsizing

Posted by Sega Dude on January 25, 2020

Posted in: Article, Games, Genesis (North America), Mega Drive (EURO), SEGA. Tagged: Aquatic Games, Big Evil Corp, Duke Nukem, FX Unit Yuki, Ottifants, piko interactive, Street Racer, Tanglewood, Tanzer, Tiny Toons, Ultracore, water margin, Xeno Crisis. 2 Comments

Similar to my previous blog entry I’m continuing the trend of downsizing my Retro Video Game Collection. Nothing too extensive just a few odds and ends are getting trimmed.

Just because I’ve sold the games below does not mean they’re not worth having. I actually like Water Margin but I can’t have it all so I’m being more selective with my money.

I recently sold the above three Piko Interactive games and the four Genesis games below as a lot for $160 CAD (~$120 USD). For a short time I had it in my head that I wanted to include PAL exclusive games in my Sega Genesis Collection. PAL is a common label for European Sega Mega Drive games; which was how the Genesis was branded outside of North America.

In my current retro mood I’m inclined to steer my collection towards a more focused philosophy and part of that means ditching the few PAL games that I had. I had three and they’re now gone.

My current desire to purge has also come from a shift in the retro gaming community; in the form of a sharp rise in the quality of Indie video games created for the Sega Genesis and Sega Mega Drive.

Where once it was exceptionally rare to find a new Sega Genesis game it’s now (almost) common place. And more importantly the quality and calibre of many of these games is exceptional. Both in the game itself and the physical product.

For me personally both Tanglewood and Xeno Crisis are just perfect. Beautiful games that are very fun and engaging. Rock solid software with stunning physical design, production and quality.

Of these five games Tanglewood and Xeno Crisis are my favourites.

Tanglewood is truly an epic adventure and I would not change a thing. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve completed Tanglewood and I keep coming back for more. If you’d like to know more about Tanglewood check out my spoiler free ‘Tanglewood 16-bit Perfection‘ review.

Coming in at a close second is Xeno Crisis; which is still busy beating me to a pulp! Even two player with a buddy I’m finding that we’ll do pretty well in the stages but the bosses usually cut us to shreds. This is not a criticism, it’s simply the heart of an arena style arcade game. Live or Die. And I’m sure it’s the high impact and unforgiving nature of Xeno Crisis which has made it so popular.

FX-Unit Yuki is something special. It falls down a little bit when comparing it’s more amateurish cover art to Tanglewood and Xenos Crisis. The game isn’t quite as professionally polished and on occasion will struggle to run at full speed (*I’ve read that the TG-16 version is a smoother experience). But in my eyes it gets a pass because of what it does right. It’s a really fun game. The story of FX-Unit Yuki sets the stage to pay homage to many classic retro games and it does it so well.

Tanzer (German for Dancer) has such a unique feel. At first glance it looks like a traditional platformer with the speed of Sonic the Hedgehog and the acrobatics of Strider. You’re given a very fast playable character with exceptionally tight controls that combine to deliver a fresh platforming experience. You’re going to have to learn how to control Tanzer well before you’ll get far. I do wish the games graphics were a bit better and the physical package could use a little… more. The cover art and manual look almost unfinished. I actually feel a bit petty making these comments when the game offers solid game mechanic, upgrades and branching paths. Tanzer does a lot right.

Ultracore feels complete, polished and intense! Good, right? However, I’m also finding it a bit repetitive. This is probably an issue with my own attention span and not the game. Both this physical release and the game look great. The game runs well and is generous with health. It feels very much like Mega Turrican and Gunlord. It is my least favourite of this bunch but these are all good games.

Are you buying modern retro video games? What do you need to see in these games to justify the purchase price?

I’ll leave you with my Tanglewood longplay. I’m managed to get 100% of the fireflies… no big deal.

Pick-Ups – To be this good takes Analogue

Posted by Sega Dude on January 19, 2020

Posted in: Article, Hardware, SEGA. Tagged: 8bitdo, Analogue, genesis, mega drive, Mega Sg, NES, nintendo, retro-bit, sega, snes. 4 Comments

So I did something crazy and it feels great! I purchased the extremely high-end and very expensive Mega Sg by Analogue.

Easy now, stop your gasping. I did get the wife’s permission first.

I’ve been borderline desperate to get my hands on this (dare I say) perfect Sega Genesis / Mega Drive replacement console since it’s release on March 25th, 2019. However, the steep price tag of $190 USD plus $50 USD shipping had held me off. I just could not justify the ~$310 CAD grand total; regardless of all the high praise this modern 16-bit wonder has been receiving.

It’s true, a tremendous amount of skill and a quality has been poured into the Mega Sg and I do understand that this product has a very niche audience. I cannot criticize the price tag. It feels appropriate. But at the same time I could not justify it to myself.

So what happened? I found a used Mega Sg. In fact since it’s release this is the first Mega Sg I’ve seen for sale on the second hand market. I didn’t get away like a bandit but I do feel I did well and scored it for a fair price of $240 CAD (~$184 USD). Saving $70 CAD (~$54 USD) really helped. But buying it used also did more. It spared me the risk of duty. Had I purchased it direct from Analogue and had I been charged duty I would have been hit with another $88 CAD (~$67 USD) according to borderbuddy.com. Leaving me with a grand total of $390 CAD (~$300 USD). Ouch…

As a very nice gesture the seller included this retro-bit 6 button arcade pad for free. Which I can use on my new Mega Sg or my original Sega Genesis. Of course the Sega Dude is all wireless now but this was still a very nice thing.

What really made all this fall into place is a little bit of downsizing I’ve been doing. Just a few days after my Mega Sg purchase I managed to sell some Super Nintendo carts. I’ve decided that I want just some of the AAA titles complete with box and manual. As a result I’ve recently sold the following:

Axelay $65 CAD
Super Mario All-Stars (with BitBox Case) $30 CAD (with manual)
Super Mario RPG (with BitBox Case) $70 CAD (with manual)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV Turtles in Time (with BitBox Case) $60 CAD
The Legend of Mystical Ninja (with BitBox Case) $40 CAD
Parodius Da (Super Famicom with BitBox Case) $15 CAD
Pop’n TwinBee (Super Famicom with BitBox Case) $15 CAD
Super Genjin 2 (Bonk 2) (Nintendo Super Famicom) $20 CAD

Netting me $315 CAD which more than paid for my $240 CAD Mega Sg.

You’ll see a few games that I still have for sale in the images above. My prices have all been in-line with pricecharting.com; adding a bit extra if I had a game manual to go along with the cartridge.

I use to buy BitBox cases because I found it hard to find fordable complete SNES and NES games. But now that I’m reducing and looking for just some core games I’m letting go of some great games in favour of a smaller more complete Nintendo collection.

Below are the top three SNES games I’m hoping to track down complete someday:

Super Mario World
The Legend of Zelda
Metroid

I still feel Bitboxes from StoneAgeGamer look great but for me personally, I’m starting to change gears.

So, how is Analogue’s Mega Sg console?

I haven’t had it long so I can’t really praise it as 100% perfect yet but at first glance it seems like it could be. I’ve been testing my Mega Sg with Ghouls ‘n Ghosts and Tanglewood. I picked these two games because I’ve spent a lot of time with them very recently on my original Genesis console with my trusty CRT (tube) TV. The hope was that any differences on the Mega Sg connected to my HDTV would be easy for me to spot.

Of course there is a difference. The image quality of these 16-bit games running on the Mega Sg is off the charts. They run crystal clear as if running from emulation on a PC. And I love it! But that’s it. Everything else feels so incredibly authentic to the original hardware.

I am a very happy Retro Dude these days!