Pick-Ups – To be this good takes Analogue

Posted by Sega Dude on January 19, 2020
Posted in: Article, Hardware, SEGA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 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!

Gothic Remake Playable Teaser Out Now

Posted by Sega Dude on December 16, 2019
Posted in: Article, Community, Games. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 4 Comments

THQ Nordic Barcelona is asking Gothic fans if they would like a remake of the cult classic video game Gothic.

What is Gothic? It’s the single greatest open world RPG ever. I’m pretty sure Elder Scrolls thinks it’s the champ, but if so, it would be mistaken.

Gothic 1 was released Nov 2001 in North America and along with Gothic II (Nov 2002) and Gothic 3 (Oct 2006) they have stood the test of time and remain my favourite open world video games.

Gothic 2001 Screens Shots

About the THQ Nordic 2019 playable teaser:

“This is not a full game. Its a playable teaser version to a potential approach for a new Gothic game. Nothing is set in stone.

So your feedback is essential to turn Gothic into a modern game. Therefore, and to reward your loyalty, Gothic – Playable Teaser is totally free for all fans who already have any of the titles in the Gothic saga or developed by Piranha Bytes [on the Steam platform]!” -THQ Nordic Barcelona

After hearing this news I immediately downloaded, played and completed the ‘Gothic Playable Teaser‘ and I find myself both excited and nervous.

I will start by thanking THQ Nordic Barcelona for offering the fans the opportunity to comment on the game so early in development giving all of us a chance to express our opinions.

It was an absolutely brilliant idea to release this very early demo. I believe that giving fans time to try it out and constructively criticize could very well save the day.

Gothic Playable Teaser Dec 2019

I’m going to try hard to stick with a few comments about the Gothic Playable Teaser and Gothic that I feel are most important.

1) The introduction to the Gothic Remake Teaser it terrible.

Instantly I felt like THQ Nordic Barcelona is catering to the masses. PLEASE do NOT turn Gothic into an approachable, high adrenaline, pedal to the metal cinematic event.

Please consider restoring the original introduction events. A punch in the face, a quick welcome from Diego and then you’re on your own. No one cares about our Unnamed Hero (who should NOT be nicknamed Rookie).

The incredible story of Gothic works because of it’s mystery and a slow burn to learn and understand what has happened. Don’t spell it out right at the beginning. And don’t treat our Unnamed Hero like he’s something special.

‘I have a scroll that I can chose to deliver and it’s worth something… now go off into the world.’

2) Combat has potential but it’s not good yet. Get rid of ALL the User Interface (UI) for combat. Don’t lock onto an enemy. If I need to change targets I can turn and face the new target. Don’t show arrows and flash things to tell me when to parry. Let the AI animation give me the information I need. Let me see two enemies and be very concerned about the situation.

3) Less is more. Keep all UI out of sight as much as possible. I don’t want to see my life bar or my stamina. I’ll learn my limits as I play. Make the Unnamed Hero pant as he gets close to exhaustion. Have him hobble has he gets close to death. Don’t break the immersion. Or at least keep them very minimal.

Save cinematic scenes for only the most important moments… and keep them few. Don’t break the immersion.

4) The Unnamed Hero in this demo sounds like a modern day Londoner and he talks too much. Less is more. Don’t break the immersion.

5) Keep the old XP and training system. I love getting physically stronger as I level but I also love having to find a trainer to show me how to swing my sword more effectively. It feels real and natural. New armour should remain a huge accomplishment.

6) One difficulty. Gothic.

From what I’ve experienced so far my thoughts on this teaser demo are ‘please do not try to re-imagine Gothic’. But instead just modernize the engine and graphics and maybe (maybe) add a few new quests. Then I will play your Gothic remake and love you for it. And then I’ll be hungry for a Gothic II and Gothic 3 remake.

I know this post is a deviation from the normal 8-bit and 16-bit goodness that I talk about here at Retro Megabit but Gothic is very important to me and I really want this remake to succeed. My excitement and anticipation are through the roof!

Any other Gothic fans out there? I’d love to hear your thoughts even if they differ from my own. Lets have at it! 🙂

–Edit–
Below is an addition comment I left on Steam as the idea of a Gothic remake continues to peculate in my head:

Please do not give the player the option to turn gameplay features on or off.
No combat assist, no ‘perk’ to highlight near by resources, no icons flouting over NPC’s indicating their strength relative to the player.

And above all NO mini map. The unnamed Hero needs to find his own map… a real map that does NOT show his current location on the map. Build a world where the player will learn their way around. A world so well crafted that each road, forest, hill and field are unique enough that the player will learn their surroundings. Instead of staring at a mini map in the top right corner of the screen.

Do NOT say “oh, you can turn these off if you don’t want them”. When I hear that I know right away that the game/world is not good enough on it’s own without these crutches.

The game needs to be hard. Doing small jobs for people in the towns will feel important if going outside of camp is so dangerous.

Gothic needs to be hard. If you insist on making different difficulty settings make them much harder than the default; which will be hard in it’s own right.

Rise from your Grave! Saving Optical Disc Games.

Posted by Sega Dude on November 6, 2019
Posted in: Games, Hardware, Restoration, SEGA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

I’ve been spoiled by the super ridiculously amazing longevity of video game cartridges. In all of my hundreds of cartridges from the 80’s and 90’s only two have ever died. These things were built to last and they have already survived the test of time.

However, my very significantly smaller Sega CD collection (standing at 50 games) hasn’t done as well. Three games (Dungeon Explorer, Lords of Thunder and Wolfchild) purchased within the last year(ish) have failed or are showing signs of trouble.

I purchased Dungeon Explorer from Lukie Games in July 2018 for $67 USD (~$88 CAD). When it arrived I found it just would not load at all. When I told Lukie Games about this they were quick to send a replacement. But unfortunately the replacement also did not work. I tried the original and the replacement on two working Sega CD’s so I’m sure the fault is with the CDs. It wasn’t a fun experience but to their credit Lukie Games did refund my money and I got to keep the broken game.

Lords of Thunder works perfectly except it will not play any audio music. The game loads, plays and sound effects can be heard. It’s only the Audio Music that is entirely absent. Lords of Thunder is well known for its intense hard rock music and losing this aspect of the game really steals it’s thunder (see what I did there?).

I bought Lords of Thunder from a fellow member over at Sega-16 in August 2018 for $120 USD (~$155 CAD) and I knew the audio music didn’t work. The seller was straight up about the problem.

Wolfchild will very reliably fail to load level one. Making it not much better off than Dungeon Explorer which does nothing at all. I purchased Wolfchild from Kijiji for $100 CAD (~$76 USD) just last month.

Fearing that these CD’s might be forever dead or half functional I took them into Retro Game Bros who (as I’ve recently learned) are very skilled at the art of re-surfacing optical discs.

Retro Game Bros had my CDs for just one day. When I returned to pick them up I was told they didn’t have a Sega CD to test if the re-surfacing had helped. But despite this they made some incredibly good predictions.

I’ll cut right to the main event; Lords of Thunder is now working perfectly. And thank goodness for that! It’s by far the most expensive game of the three. Retro Game Bros told me they expected good results from this CD. Before resurfacing they could see some mild scratches and scuffs that they were able to remove.

Dungeon Explorer they were not as sure about. There were a lot of scratches on this disc and the resurfacing actually revealed more scratches. They said maybe… and as it turns out the CD does load and play now. During the intro story the audio does have a hard time transitioning to a new track but it will muddle it’s way through and carry on. So I can’t be certain if the entire game will be playable but it feels entirely possible.

Ironically the Wolfchild CD looks absolutely perfect. With no signs of scratches, scuff or imperfections. Which is why Retro Game Bros were certain that resurfacing will not help. But at my request they tried anyways. No joy. The CD will still freeze trying to load stage one. Wolfchild is likely a victim of disc rot or some such age related degradation that can affect optical media.

If you have any optical discs that are not working or having any kind of trouble I really do recommend having them professionally re-surfaced if a gentle cleaning doesn’t help. Make sure a professional calibre machine and skilled people are at the helm. It’s important and I do believe this is the the last resort to save a disc.

I’m sure it will come as no surprise that I very highly recommend the Retro Game Bros for all of your re-surfacing needs. This has been such a great experience. Even if Wolfchild cannot be saved I still have piece of mind that I tried and… LORDS OF THUNDER WORKS!

Pick-Ups – Boxed Sega 32X

Posted by Sega Dude on November 4, 2019
Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, SEGA. Tagged: , , , , . 4 Comments

Slowly but surely I’m managing to find complete boxed hardware for my Sega collection. Much like the Sega CD I mostly ignored the Sega 32X for decades after it’s release.

Below is my newly acquired boxed Sega 32X and it’s in really great condition.

I was actually a bit surprised at how large the box is. When I met up with the seller I found that it barely fit in my backpack. Seeing it pictured here next to the Genesis cases will give you some sense of the scale.

This was a local classifieds find (Kijiji) and cost me $150 CAD (~$114 USD). I feel I did better than the typical asking price of $200 CAD that I often see a Retro Game Swaps. I even did better than what appears to be the original retail price of $200 CAD as seen on the Compucentre price tag. Normally I remove all stickers but in this case I think I’ll keep it. There’s some history here.

I’d like to say this Sega 32X is complete but it’s not. However, it is so very close. The manual is in French and I’m sure it would have also come with an English manual; which is missing. It’s also missing the Audio/Video Cable. Aside from that everything is accounted for. Including an odd expansion port cover to be placed on the Sega Genesis console CD expansion port (if you don’t have a Sega CD connected to your Genesis).

I’ve read that this expansion port cover (called the 32X Extension Unit) was included for FCC compliance but isn’t actually needed.

I believe this is a very early version of the Sega 32X and possibly among the first. The silver metal brackets seen in the image above are called Electro Magnetic Shield Plates and it didn’t take Sega long to ditch them; similar to how Sega removed the 32X Extension Unit accessory.

Below are detailed instructions of how to install your 32X Extension Unit onto your Sega Genesis console.

It’s an interesting bit of trivia that this piece of hardware wasn’t needed at all; ever.

I’ve had a loose 32X for a few years now but it was only this summer when I finally dug it out and took it for a test drive. Of my seven 32X games Space Harrier is the only one that I’ve been interested in playing.

Back in the day I was a huge fan of Space Harrier II for the Genesis and this is what I’d be comparing the 32X Space Harrier to. And despite being told “Get Ready!” I was not prepared for how fast and smooth the 32X Space Harrier was going to be. This is what Space Harrier was meant to be! (…and in the Arcades it was)

It plays incredibly fast and is a very intense experience compared to Space Harrier II. Yes, Space Harrier is still a simplistic game and a product of the Arcade era but it’s still a fun ride.

Anyone have any 32X game recommendations? Will the Sega 32X surprise me like the Sega CD and end up being an add-on worth having?

Sega 32X “Just stick it in your Genesis!”

Pick-Ups – Sega, Sega and more Sega!

Posted by Sega Dude on October 20, 2019
Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, Genesis (North America), SEGA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

It’s with mixed emotions that I present to you my most recent Sega pick-ups!

I found a pile of Sega CD games for sale on Kijiji (classified) which weren’t very local to me. Admittedly the advertised prices were not amazing with everything priced a bit higher than what I found at PriceCharting.com. The seller was willing to include shipping which did help some but I feel I got a little over excited and I should have tried to work out better prices.

Cobra Command was priced at $50 CAD (~$38 USD) while it’s listed at $30 USD on PriceCharting.com. The condition is reasonable for a collector like me and the game works.

Wolfchild is in really good condition and cost $100 CAD (~$76 USD, with a PriceCharting value of $48 USD) and despite a pristine looking CD the game will freeze as it loads level one.

I’m going to get the Wolfchild CD buffed once I can find a place with a proper machine for the task. I’m hoping this will do the trick.

Mickey Mania came in at $70 CAD (~$53 USD, with a PriceCharting value of $46 USD). It’s in good shape and works… but, there is a scratch on the data portion of the CD and when held to a light the light will shine through. I’m guessing that once the Sega CD tries to read this portion of the CD the game will crash. No amount of buffing will fix this issue.

I sprung for the Sega Classics 5 in 1 with Manual for $30 CAD (~$23 USD) because I was curious to try out games that were originally on cartridge and now on the CD format. The games are the same for the most part but I did notice that Golden Axe has a bunch of ‘enhanced’ sound effects that I’m not very fond of. Ecco the Dolphin on the other hand was treated to wonderfully atmospheric CD audio music. Even though not pictured Ecco came with this compilation on it’s own CD.

Because of the problems with Mickey Mania and Wolfchild I did ask the seller if he’d be willing to return $20 CAD to me. I thought that was just a small token to acknowledge the problem. But so far I’ve been met with radio silence. I’m not going to fuss much. I’ve done what I can and I’m sure there was no ill intentions on the sellers part. I sent him money and in good faith he mailed me the games. It is was it is; the CD format is not as reliable/durable as cartridges.

Next up, I felt like I was going back to my roots with some cool Japanese Sega Mega Drive games direct from Japan!

Kyukyoku Tiger (Twin Cobra) cost me $70 USD (~$92 CAD) and I was a bit disappointed to find the cover is sunfaded. The seller did send me pictures but I couldn’t really tell until I had the case and manual in hand and side by side.

Despite this I’ll definitely be doing business with www.facebook.com/Japantiquity/ again. I explained that next time I’d like games in better condition and he was very receptive and understanding.

Bad Omen on the other hand is in great shape and I’m very pleased with it. Bad Omen cost me $55 USD (~$72 CAD). Both of these Mega Drive games included shipping.

You can also find Japantiquity on Instagram @Japantiquity_japanvintageshop.

My first impression of Kyukyoku Tiger is that it does not look very pretty. But as I played I could tell the gameplay is good… and tough! Bad Omen is also a hard game that feels like it’s going to be easy but it’s just not. I really do like it and I’m looking forward to playing more.

Barrie Game Exchange 2019

Posted by Sega Dude on September 16, 2019
Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, Genesis (North America), Nintendo, SEGA, SNES. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

It feels like it’s been a long time since I’ve picked-up any retro video games. Looking back at my own blog it was March 2019 when I last scored a few Sega games.

And what a great way to break a near 6 month dry spell with Shining Force CD for the Sega CD. Fortunately I had time enough to save up for this $200 CAD addition (~$150 USD).

It’s in excellent condition and I knew this is about as good a price as I’d ever get. I saw three Shining Force CD’s at this game swap; all priced between $240-$250. I offered one seller $200 and he was willing. Thank you sir!

It’s actually been a long time since I’ve played Shining Force and I’m looking forward to this Shining Force Gaiden and Shining Force Gaiden II remake. If I had to pick I’d say my all time favorite turn-based strategy game is War Song for the Sega Genesis (known as Langrisser in Japan).

Looking back to July 2018 I found my old Sega CD wish list and to my surprise I’ve manage to cross a bunch off the list in just over one year:

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

I’m not holding my breath for Keio Flying Squadron or Space Adventure. When my list is down to two they will be the last two (permanently) on the list.

I’ve had the cartridge and manual for Final Fantasy II for a long time now so when I came across an empty Final Fantasy box with cardboard insert for $15 CAD (~$11 USD) I was pretty sure it was a good deal. My thanks to Nintendo Joe for making sure I pulled the trigger on this one. The front is a bit sun-faded and it is certainly showing some wear but the price was right. And now I have a complete Final Fantasy II which for me is one of those SNES games that holds a lot of nostalgia.

Now that I have a taste for boxed SNES games I’ll show you a fine gift from Nintendo Joe. As Nintendo Joe continues his quest for a 100% NES set he was nice enough to give me a boxed Super Mario World 2. And like my Final Fantasy II it’s also showing some wear but it’s still really great to have.

Nintendo Joe has been more active of late on Instagram where he’s devilishly close to becoming a bonafide influencer. Check him out @nintendojoe1985 or @ultimate_megatron if G1 Transformers are your Jam.

But do not watch his Live Action Donkey Kong video. Seriously, you’ve been warned.