Pick-Ups – Mega Drive JNTSC and PAL Games

Posted by Sega Dude on January 31, 2017
Posted in: Games, Mega Drive (EURO), Mega Drive (Japanese), SEGA. Tagged: , , , , , . 8 Comments

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Well, that didn’t take long. It was only just last month when I wrote ‘Collecting like it’s 1998!‘ where I discovered that I no longer have Rolling Thunder 2 for the Japanese Sega Mega Drive. I owned the game once (in 1998) and it had cost me $10 CAD. Then over the years something happened and I no longer had it. I started missing the game and I wanted it back. On eBay getting it back would cost me about $70-$80 CAD. I realized then that I didn’t miss it that badly. So I tried to put it out of my mind. Better to have loved and lost than to have never–Hells No! I want it back!
But I didn’t have a plan. eBay is the only consistently reliable place to find old games like this. But the convenience comes with a giant premium. And for the second time I have recently closed my eBay account. So again I tried to put Rolling Thunder 2 out of my mind.

Then while having a fun day with the wife and some of the family exploring our local China Town my wife reluctantly pointed out A&C Games sitting directly across the street from where we were. I had been to this store at it’s old location and honestly I did not visit it often because it’s typically very expensive for the games that I’m looking for. But just browsing would still be pretty fun even if I didn’t buy anything. So I ventured in…

As I walked in I was immediately impressed with the amount of Retro Video games they had. I asked where they kept their Sega Genesis games and they showed me. They had a lot; maybe 150 boxed games. The condition of the games ranged from just OK to good. Most of the interesting titles were priced at about $80 CAD each. My enthusiasm started to  wane. I then asked to see their Turbo Grafx-16 games and they showed me; and I saw some $25 sports games. Then I looked for Sega Master System and Dreamcast games; they had them too. And then I found stack of Neo Geo MVS carts; all commons (but good games) for about $80-$120 each. Everything I asked or looked for was found; which was pretty cool. And even though I hadn’t seen any Mega Drive games while browsing the Genesis section I decided to ask if they had any Japanese Sega Mega Drive games; and they said ‘yes, right this is way please’.

Japanese Sega Mega Drive games must be in less demand. These prices were better. $20 was a common price among the 20 or 25 games that I saw. And to my surprise one of those games was a very excellent condition Rolling Thunder 2. However, it did cost me $50 CAD plus tax (~ $38 USD) which is still a lot of money but better than eBay and it came complete with instant gratification.

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Look at that Rolling Thunder 2. If only all retro games were in such great condition. It feels good putting this one back in the collection after all these years.

How good is Rolling Thunder 2? It’s a solid action platformer. Not amazing but still a good game. The boss fights are a bit weak and simplistic. Not simplistic as in ‘easy’ but just uninspired. The game does provide level codes at the end of each stage so you can continue where you left off rather than starting from scratch each time. It’s the type of game where you’ll need to remember enemy attack patterns in order to get through a stage. It may look easy but it will provide a good challenge and it has a great James Bond feel to it.

The next find was very unique for me. In my experience is it exceptionally rare to find PAL Mega Drive games (European Releases) in Canada. I have only two other PAL games and this is only the second time I’ve found a PAL game locally. The first time was decades ago and I passed it up.

There are two problems with having a PAL game in North America. First, CRT TV’s (Tube TVs) in Europe support different standards than CRT TV’s in North America. As a result of this if the game in question was built for the 50 Hz PAL standard it might not display correctly on a 60 Hz NTSC TV (and vice versa). Second, if the game is region locked a North American Sega Genesis will not be able to load the game at all.

In the case of The Ottifants I discovered that it is region locked and my Sega Genesis cannot play it. Fortunately I do have a Super Key and I was able to get around the region locking.

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The first stage of The Ottifants reminded me of Castle of Illusion Staring Mickey Mouse. And although  a competent platformer (from my brief time with it) The Ottifants is not as good. For $20 plus tax it was still worth picking up just for kicks. It’s also in very good shape and it will be something a little bit unique in my collection.

Custom Game Cases Vol. 4

Posted by Sega Dude on January 23, 2017
Posted in: Games, MVS, Nintendo, SNK Neo Geo. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

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Second only to actually playing awesome retro video games is making them look ‘new again’. I recently had my favorite print shop (Lamin-8) print up 12 covers for some of my loose SNK Neo Geo and NES game cartridges.

Even before these covers got put into cases they look great. If I had more wall space I think these would make great posters for the game room.

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First up are the mighty Neo Geo MVS Shockboxes. These beasts are very large and beautiful!

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There is something about giant electronics packed in really large plastic cases that just screams RETRO. But if you have played some of the best the Neo Geo has to offer then you know that SNK’s old slogan still holds true: The Future is Now.

Unfortunately something happened with the print job for Captain Tomaday and it printed much too small for the Shockbox case. I’ll have to revisit the Captain next time when I have more covers to print.

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Next up are eight covers for some of my NES cartridges. Although not entirely authentic these lined up BitBoxes look so much nicer than loose carts.

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With the exception of Kid Icarus I’ve managed to find manuals for these games.

Two parts authentic and one part aftermarket. Not bad.

What really helps with these aftermarket BitBoxes is that the cover art is the same artwork that you’ll find on an authentic NES cardboard box. Giving the final product very authentic look despite being a very different style case.

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Beautiful. I could just stare at these all day. Who’s with me?!

Pick-Ups – SNES and NES Games from eBay Auction

Posted by Sega Dude on January 16, 2017
Posted in: Games, NES, SNES. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

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I started collecting NES and Super Nintendo games much too late to try for complete boxed games. Personally, the cost is too high now. But I’ve found that occasionally you can get manuals to go along with NES and SNES carts for reasonable prices but you have to be very patient. One of the last purchases I made on ebay before recently closing my account are the following games from a seller who appeared to be a collector that was unloading his collection. These three auctions were a little bit extra exciting because they included the original manual for each game. This is what I call ‘life simplified’.

Super Mario RPG gets a lot of hype as being a really good game so I went the distance and spent a good amount of money to get it in the collection with an original manual at a cost of $95 CAD all in.

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I haven’t played all the NES Mega Man games and I’ve been told many times that they are not all made equal. But since Mega Man is such an iconic game for the NES I would like to have all six one day. This Mega Man 4 with manual which cost me $52 CAD.

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And finally, Kirby’s Adventure with manual at a grand total cost of $24.50 CAD. Kirby feels like a bargain compared to the others above.

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This was not a cheap purchase but they are some really good titles for the NES. And it wont be long before I have these games and manuals in some very nice looking aftermarket cases.

Collecting like it’s 1998!

Posted by Sega Dude on December 25, 2016
Posted in: Community, Mega Drive (Japanese), SEGA. Tagged: , , , , , . 7 Comments

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Do you enjoying collecting Retro Video Games from the 80’s and 90’s?

Then allow me to bend time and space and give you a glimpse into the Golden Era of Retro Video Game Collecting!

Recently I found a very old receipt tucked inside my Japaneses Sega Mega Drive game Assault Suit Leynos. Clearly 1998 was the time to be buying games for your Sega Genesis or Mega Drive.

Have a look at this Video Games Connection receipt from July 30, 1998 (in Canadian dollars).

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Oh yes, you read that right (and just in case you can’t see the image):

Batman $10
Rolling Thunder $10
ESWAT $10
Dino Land $10
SD Valis $10
Magical Hat $10
Heavy Unit $10
Assault Suit Leynos $10

Even after tax that is just $11.50 per (complete and like new) game. Ah, good times…

I bought my Sega Genesis sometime in the launch year of the system and I was buying games from Video Games Connection all through the consoles life span and beyond. I even paid Video Games Connection $30 to modify my Genesis so that I could play Japanese Mega Drive games. The larger Japanese Mega Drive plastic cartridges physically did not fit into the Sega Genesis and that was the only form of region protection for a long time (much later Sega added software region locks to some games). At the time Video Games Connection told me they would have to cut the plastic of the Genesis case to widen the slot for the larger Japanese cartridges and they also told me that they had to do ‘a little technical work here and there’. That last part was a lie to help sell the $30 service. I didn’t know any better and to be honest I bet I would have been content to pay the $30 (Mom actually paid) even if they stated that cutting the plastic was the only work required. There was no need to lie.

But Look! Complete Mega Drive games for $10 each! All is forgiven.

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I still have my original Sega Genesis and I’ve since widened the cartridge slot even more on my own because Video Games Connection original work was not wide enough to fit the extra large Japanese cartridges made by a company called Sunsoft.

What I find surprising is that I have re-bought every one of these games more recently except for Assault Suit Leynos. Which means that I likely traded or sold those titles in the receipt for other games. I did a lot of trading back then. And it looks like I no longer have Rolling Thunder 2 for the Mega Drive. Hopefully I traded it for something worth while because Rolling Thunder 2 is a pretty good game.

Here’s what re-buying the games cost me (CAD).

Batman (couldn’t find my cost)
ESWAT $23 (Purchased June 2014)
Dino Land $15 (Purchased February 2012)
Valis SD $35 (purchased July 2014)
Magical Hat $60 (Purchase July 2016)
Heavy Unit $20 (purchased June 2014)

What I enjoy most about finding this receipt is that it validates my memory of what I remember paying for these games (and many others from back then). Over time memories can get skewed and it’s great to see that what I thought I remembered actually was.

Video Games Connection turned it’s back on Video Games and the store changed into a Travel Agency (same owners) a very long time ago… but the Sega Dude is still going strong!

**Update**
I recently found a copy of Rolling Thunder 2 locally.

Pick-Ups – Gleylancer Has Come Home!

Posted by Sega Dude on December 2, 2016
Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, Mega Drive (Japanese), SEGA. Tagged: , , , , . 9 Comments

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OK, get ready. I’m about to go the long way around…

Depending on your age you may remember He-Man action figures. In particular He-Man himself and Skeletor. The toys for these two characters each came with half a sword. These two halves (if you had them both) could be connected together to make one whole and hefty sword. To my memory the cartoon never really addressed this nuance of the toys and that helped elevate this mystery into something almost mythical for me as a kid.

So that first time that I was able to put these two half swords together it was totally AWESOME!
It wasn’t really ‘awesome’, but I managed to build up the idea so much that it felt very meaningful. Playtime became a conflict about the good guys or the bad guys getting both halves; and then totally dominating the other side.

The only reason I’m taking the time to explain this is because I haven’t felt this inner kid level of excellent for something that is actually trivial (but fun) in a long time.

Today I received an authentic cartridge, the actual game, to complete my Japanese Sega Mega Drive Gleylancer. As I clicked the plastic cartridge in place into my once empty Gleylancer case in the back of my mind I could hear the kid in me squealing with delight. And it felt totally awesome.

Gleylancer is a really good space ship shoot ’em-up that unfortunately has one of those ‘run away’ price tags that is commonly seen in the Retro Video Game scene. Is it truly rare? I don’t know but I suspect maybe a little bit as it was exclusive to the Japanese Sega Mega drive and never made it to the European Mega Drive or the North American Genesis. It can always been seen on ebay so I’m reasonably sure it’s not truly rare.

It’s common to see a complete good condition Gleylancer list on ebay for somewhere between $300 and $400 USD.

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But what is the game actually selling for? Below are recently sold listing for Gleylancer. Disregarding those two reproductions (fakes) only two authentic and complete Gleylancers have sold recently. One for $319 USD and the other for $271 USD. So yes, it can be a very expensive game and it would seem that only a very few people are willing to pay for it.

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I got sucked into hunting down Gleylancer after I managed to get a good deal on a case and manual from the neo-geo.com forums for $60 USD from a fellow member. It was my hope to someday find a cheap cartridge to complete the set. You can see my previous post about scoring my Gleylancer case and manual here.

So, did I find myself a cheap authentic Gleylancer cartridge? Hells no! But in the end I did a bit better than ebay sold listing for a hard to get game that is actually worth having.

My case and manual cost me $60 USD plus the loose cartridge in this more recent transaction that cost me an additional $135 USD. Leaving my grand total at $195 USD for a  complete good condition Gleylancer.
Close call! That came in just under $200 which psychologically helps with the ‘acceptance’ stage of being frivolous. However, Canadian dollars are what are relevant to me which means I spent ~$260 CAD on this game. I do believe the wife will be mildly upset until she finds out that with this purchase of this one cartridge every single game I have in my Japanese Sega Mega Drive collection is now 100% complete. Booya! Just when she thought I couldn’t possibly be any dumber I go and do something like this and totally redeem myself! Right?

I thought I did about as well as I could for this game. But it turns out I could have done a lot better. Shortly after I received my Gleylancer cartridge I found the following ebay listing for the same cartridge for ~67 EURO (~$72 USD). Not to mention that ‘maker offer’ option.

Some lucky Dude bought this Gleylancer listing after I had to pass it up. I hope they know how well they did.

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If I had only waited a few more weeks I could have completed my Gleylancer for $60 USD less; $135 USD instead of $195 USD. That’s a huge difference and I would have felt like a bandit had I managed it. But I didn’t and I’ll try to take from this a moral that as gamers and collectors we really need to be patient.

Am I still pleased with this purchase? I am. And it’s because Gleylancer is a really fun game. Check out the longplay recording I made of Gleylancer for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis.
Yeah, that’s right I beat the game… no big deal.

Thanks to Zebbe I have discovered a fan translation to the introduction of Gleylancer by M.I.J.E.T. And what I discovered is a really and truly good story to go along with this excellent game. The more I discover about Gleylancer the more impressed I am.

“STICK TO IT AND BELIEVE IN YOUR POWER!”

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TANGLEWOOD: An original game for the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Now on Kickstarter

Posted by Sega Dude on November 13, 2016
Posted in: Community, Genesis (North America), Mega Drive (EURO), Mega Drive (Japanese), SEGA. Tagged: , , , . 2 Comments

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I woke up this morning to a very welcomed post from BIG EVIL CORPORATION about a Kickstarter Campaign for Tanglewood.

What is Tanglewood?

Tanglewood is a brand new and original game for the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive, to be released on cartridge in winter 2017.

Some time ago the web site for BIG EVIL CORPORATION was originally focused on tutorials, examples and tips on how to write code for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. Despite not knowing how to code myself I still enjoyed following along as best I could. What I got out of it was the fact that there are talented and interested people out in the world who know how to write games for old consoles and they were busy sharing their knowledge. Back then I had hoped that something like this might eventually happen.

Now, years later, Matt Phillips of BIG EVIL CORPORATION has an even larger foundation of skills and tools at his disposal and he’s ready to make Tanglewood a reality.

The Story so far…

“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.”

Visit the Kickstarter Campaign for Tanglewood for all the details. Hopefully you’ll be as excited about this release as I am and pledge for your own copy!