It’s such a welcome treat when a new or previously unpublished games gets put on a cartridge and released for retro consoles.
Just recently while browsing Sega-16.com I found out about a game called ‘It came from the Desert’ which was once slated for release on the Genesis/Mega Drive but was subsequently canceled. And now 24 years later it’s threatening to arrive!
We’ve had this treatment before with the Genesis and it’s very exciting every time.
Retail Release coming soon.
I rushed over to cinemaware.com to purchase a copy. …but they’re not ready yet to take pre-orders. The good news is (if you caught this post recently) we’re all in time to get a copy. From the link above you can sign-up to be notified when Cinemaware is ready to take your pre-order.
The release date is set for the 2014 Holiday season; which is not that far off. In fact it’s close enough that I’m surprised that they’re not taking pre-orders now. Fingers crossed that they can hit their release date!
Looks very promising!
For me personally I was extra excited about this release when I found out that Watermelon will be involved. I don’t have many details about the extent of their involvement but I believe they are helping with the physical packaging of ‘It came from the Desert’. Through my experience with Pier Solar I know that Watermelon puts a lot of effort into making a quality product and I’m hoping this will extend to Cinemaware’s effort.
Below are some cool details about the Genesis version that we might finally get our hands on:
“A Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version was to be released in 1990, but was canceled. It is an overhead shooter with the main protagonist running around on foot, although it features more free roaming gameplay than traditional scrolling shooters. Among the differences in play mechanics, the Sega version allowed the player to create powerups that were fashioned by collecting machinery pieces and joining them together in different combinations. The storyline also differs from the game, instead casting the player not as the scientist from the original but as a teenage pest control worker known as Buzz who makes a variety of improvisational weapons with various materials combined with his pest control equipment.
Although the Sega version was never actually offered for sale, it was distributed as a ROM image (for use with console emulators) from the Cinemaware website after the turn of the 21st century. Despite the similarity of camera perspective, the Sega version did not appear to reuse any of the graphical elements created for use in the computer-based versions.”
Even though this is the first time I’ve blogged about a Sega Mark III game I have been collecting them. I’m now up to 39 Sega Mark III games. And this addition would not have happened without help from StopXWhispering over at Retro Video Gaming. She told me about a Swedish auction site called Tradera and offered to buy games on my behalf and ship them to me. How awesome is that?! 😀
Heidi (StopXWhispering) actually found this Haja no Fuuin for me. It was missing the manual but more importantly it had the small diecast figure! This little extra can be really hard to find; so I jump on the chance to get it. We sent a bunch of emails back and forth and worked out a trade which included Haja no Fuuin.
More recently I was able to find a loose manual for Haja no Fuuin on ebay. It cost a lot at $20 but now I have a complete Haja no Fuuin!
Haja no Fuuin (Miracle Warriors)
Miracle Warriors Gameplay by the Sega Dude.
The video clip above is gameplay footage from the Sega Master System version of Haja no Fuuin renamed Miracle Warriors. You wont hear the excellent FM sound supported by the Sega Mark III with the FM Unit add-on but the music on the Master System for Miracle Warriors is still really good.
My complete Haja no Fuuin.
Above is my complete Haja no Fuuin with box, manual, diecast figure, cloth map and cartridge. I do wish the box was in better shape but it will due. Maybe I’ll upgrade someday if I can find it for cheap but for now I’m really pleased with this addition. Thank you Heidi!!
Heidi also surprised me with a copy of the Famicom version of Haja no Fuuin in a recent trade. She really is an excellent retro gaming buddy 🙂
For the right price I’ll buy any complete Sega Mark III game but there is only one game left that I really want and fear I’ll have a very hard time finding. That is Alex Kidd BMX Trail which is in a larger than normal box and comes with a special joystick for the game.
Despite being very eager for the release of Pier Solar HD it’s often hard to stay connected when games are announced and then they’re in development for a very long period of time.
I lost track for a little while and then I stumbled on the official trailer. And I feel it’s looking great. Despite being a very retro style video game I know Pier Solar will be right at home on modern consoles. And the good news is it looks like it’s going to be released on just about everything! 😛
-> PC, MAC, Linux, Wii U, PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Dreamcast and Ouya.
From watching WaterMelon Team video diaries and reading their own posts I know they are very eager to announce an official release date but are holding off in an effort to ensure they can hit it once announced. I know they will deliver and I don’t mind waiting.
I’ve already pre-ordered Pier Solar HD for my Dreamcast (via kickstarter) and I’m sure I’ll buy it again for my PS4.
Having already played it for the Sega Genesis I can say first hand this is a quality game. If you’re into JRPG’s have close look. This could be one for you 🙂
In fact, I recommend keeping an eye on WaterMelon Team the developers of Pier Solar. They have some amazing stuff in the works. Specially if you’re a retro gamer.
I’d like to show off a new addition to my retro video game collection. It’s not a game or a console but it is essential and it makes for a great addition.
This 32″ monster is beautiful to look and a nightmare to move. I had no idea what I was getting into when I decided that this was a good idea.
So, how do you get help to move a 175lbs TV? It helps a lot if you have a friend who is already indebted to you. After recently helping a close friend move his 120 gallon fish tank I knew I had the right dude for the job. There were a few close calls along the way but in the end it all worked out.
Say ‘hello’ to my Sony FD Trinitron WEGA KV-32XBR200 CRT TV. Even though you can get true HD from the last generation of CRT TV’s this Sony is not. It offers a resolution of 480i and an aspect ratio of 4:3 and the screen is perfectly flat.
Thunder Force III Title Screen
Thunder Force III Boss
I do wish is was easier to get SCART in North America for the best possible CRT picture but I’ll have to settle for S-Video; even though I’m only use Composite at the moment. But even with Composite I was really surprised by the improvement from my previous Zenith CRT. With the Sony the edges of the image were no longer off screen and it did look sharper and clearer. And I was surprised by how much better it sounded too. I was so caught up in video quality that it didn’t dawn on me that I might be getting and audio upgrade too. The best part is the size. This TV really is a lot larger than my Zenith 26″. It makes a big difference.
Phantasy Star II Battle
Streets of Rage 2 Kick’in Butt
For $50 from Craigslist (classifieds) I’m really enjoy it! …and so far my IKEA TV stand is holding up!
I don’t know what to say. The unthinkable has happened. Of ALL the licensed Sega Genesis and Mega Drive games out there I found the one single game that use to hold the #1 position on my ‘Fantasy Wish List’. The ‘Fantasy Wish List’ being a list of games that I would love to have but would never ever be able to afford. And this one particular title was the most unattainable of all.
…entirely unattainable.
Until today when I purchased a complete and Excellent condition Eliminate Down for the Japanese Sega Mega Drive.
Even now looking at it actually in my collection I can hardly believe it!
I remember writing a blog a while ago stating that “I think the Sega Collection Might have Peaked…“. I’m glad (and surprised) that I was wrong. I’m pretty sure the collection has now actually peaked. Until I some how end up with a complete copy of the official yet unlicensed copy of Tetris for the Japanese Sega Mega Drive (but that’s just crazy talk) my collection has now ‘peaked’ as high as it ever will.
So if by chance the image below is still off screen and you haven’t seen it, hold on for just a moment. Before you scroll down get the tune ‘We Own It‘ from Fast and Furious 6 in your head. Got it? Crank the mental volume way UP! AWwwwwww Yeeaaahhhhh….. OK, I’m done. You can scroll down now.
Eliminate Down for the Japanese Sega Mega Drive.
Eliminate Down Gameplay by the Sega Dude.
One of the most exciting things about getting to add Eliminate Down to the collection is that it’s a good game. So far it has been really good. If feels great, sounds fantastic, looks awesome and it’s packed full of bosses and mini-bosses. Which helps keep the action intense and fresh. I’ve had a lot of fun playing it!
So… What did Eliminate Down cost me? I bought it in a bundle with a Japanese Mega Drive model 2 and 9 other games. So it’s hard to say exactly what this one game cost me. I’ll break it down at the end of this post.
Of these ten games I already had seven of them but I didn’t care because I had target fixation on Eliminate Down. But for now, on to the other two games that I’m adding to the collection.
At first I thought I already had Heavy Unit but after digging through the whole Mega Drive collection I realized I didn’t. The condition is Excellent, it’s complete and I’m really glad to have it.
Heavy Unit
Heavy Unit Gameplay by the Sega Dude.
Heavy Unit isn’t actually that good. It’s not terrible but playing this Space Ship Shooter right after playing Eliminate Down really highlighted it’s flaws. The graphics are OK and the levels do have some good variety but the game feels a bit flat and unpolished. And it’s one of those games that can really be punishing but not in a good way. If you die and lose your power-ups you’re in big trouble. When this happened to me I found the ship to be so slow that I couldn’t really react in time to anything. And I haven’t noticed any use for changing between ship mode and robot mode; which seems to happen when collecting a particular power-up. I checked ebay to get a sense of it’s cost and I found it listed for $40 USD. It’s really not worth this much. But the cover art really does rock.
The first few minutes of playing James Bond 007 the Duel I thought the game was really good. By the time I was able to beat level one I decided that is was just OK. The only thing that knocked down my first impression is the fact that the controls are a bit stiff. It’s pretty hard to get Bond to shoot at an angle or crouch as fast as you need him to. It felt a bit like Rolling Thunder and even used the same cover mechanics (ducking into a door way) but it wasn’t very useful in this game. The cheapest price I found on ebay for this game was $70 USD for the Japanese version. That is way too much if you only care about playing. Just like Heavy Unit James Bond 007 the Duel should be a $20 game.
James Bond 007 The Duel
James Bond Gameplay by the Sega Dude.
Bond is now in the collection! The condition is Good. You can’t see it in the picture but the edge of the cart label is peeling off a bit on the back side. Otherwise I would have given it a rating of Very Good.
…or Excellent if it was any Bond other than Timothy Dalton.
Here are the other 7 games that came with this lot (Found locally on Kijiji):
The Other Games Purchased with Eliminate Down.
The good news is all but one game can be played without needing to know Japanese. They’re also really good games. Two are actually bootlegs; Insector X and a 5-in-1 cart. The 5-in-1 cart is pretty cool. It contains Sonic 2, Jewel Master, Thunder Force III, Same Same Same and Master of Weapon. Once you power on the system you’ll get Sonic 2 by default. Pressing reset will cycle through the games.
So, what did Eliminate Down cost me?
I’m going to sell the doubles and take that money away from my cost of this bundle.
I spent $300 CND on a complete working Japanese model 2 Sega Mega Drive, ten games and one Honey Bee adapter. The adapter allows you to plug a Mega Drive cartridges into a Genesis. This will spare you from having to carve/shave the cartridge slot on a Genesis and make it physically wider. This Honey Bee adapter will not make region locked games play on the wrong system but since most games don’t have region locking it’s still very nice to have.
I’m going to be very conservative about the value of what I bought here. I think the cheapest price you might ever get a complete and working Mega Drive (or Genesis) would $30 and if each game other than Eliminate Down is valued at $20 and the Honey Bee adapter is about $10 then I paid $220 CDN for everything not counting Eliminate Down. Leaving the cost of Eliminate Down at an affordable $80 Canadian. I’ll admit that $80 is still a lot of money to be spending on a 25 year old game but I’m reasonably sure I am a through-and-through fanatical Mega Drive collector so how the heck could I pass this up?
I also want to thank my stunningly Beautiful wife for not once questioning the amount of money I threw down on these games! There wasn’t even so much as a “are you sure you really need it?”. I got nothing but unbridled acceptance. Which is normally the case and I feel it’s worth mentioning.
Below is the Japanese Mega Drive Model 2 that came with the lot. It’s in very nice shape. The only flaw is slight discoloration to both the power switch and the reset button. It’s complete with the hook-ups and an extra identical joystick.
Japanese Sega Mega Drive Model 2
I didn’t realize that the Japanese joysticks were much smaller than the Genesis controllers (of the same type). I don’t have a preference between the two. They’re both a good comfortable size.
This is not the first time I’ve done some trading with StopXWhispering over at Retro-Video-Gaming. And I’ve learned to get pretty excited about it.
Want to see first hand one of the subtle differences between a guy gamer and a girl gamer?
I, The SegaDude, put some games into a box and shipped them to StopXWhispering (I was actually a bite late doing this).
Once we figured out what we were going to trade StopXWhispering had shipped her package of games the very next day. And it was packed full of games as well as genuine bonafide enthusiasm!
Not only did I get the amazing games that I was expecting but I also got a very nice hand written letter and tons of cool extras… including Sega bags! That’s right, Sega bags. How cool is that?!
I don’t know what to do with them yet but they are awesome. I feel like StopXWhispering traveled into the past when Sega was king and snagged the bags. However, I suspect they might have come from her recent trip to Japan.
It has arrived!
What’s this?
As soon as I saw the box I knew who it came from 🙂 And upon opening it I discovered a lot of fun extras!
Sega Bags!!
Packed full of Goodness!
Check out those Sega bags! Japan truly is the video gaming Mecca of the world. And look at the wealth of games spilling out of this package!
It will take me a long time to make gameplay footage for all 12 games so I’m going to post without the videos to show off my new loot. And I’m going to have to follow-up with StopXWhispering to make sure she’s just as happy with the games I have sent her.
Back to the Future II
Back to the Future III
I believe there were only two Back to the Future games for the Sega Master System and now I have them both! They are both complete and in Excellent shape!
Bank Panic
Battle Outrun
In the late 90’s I had the chance to trade for Bank Panic but for some reason I didn’t believe the guy who told me he had it. We were emailing and there were no pictures and because I hadn’t heard of it before and I didn’t think it was real. I’m normally very trusting and I don’t recall why I hesitated, but I did. Now, well over a decade later StopXWhispering has corrected my mistake!
Before the package arrived I had actually forgotten that Battle Out Run was coming and I bought it at a local game shop a few weeks before. Doh!
But both are complete and in amazing shape so I’ll be able to trade or sell one of them. But not before taking the perfect condition case to upgrade another game of mine. It all works out 🙂
Cool Spot
Dynamite Duke
You remember Cool Spot, right? The red spot from your 7-Up bottle. Who knew he’d make for a cool little platformer. Complete and in amazing shape!
This is my third copy of Dynamite Duke! I have it for the Genesis and Japanese Mega Drive and now for the Master System too. If I ever find a fourth version I’ll take it too. Complete and in amazing condition!
Klax
Space Gun
Klax is a fun puzzle game that I’ve played a fair bit on the Genesis. I’m happy to have the Master System version too. Complete and in awesome condition!
Take a look at Space Gun. What a great cover! You can play it with the joystick and or Light Phaser and it’s pretty good. Not amazing but fun enough. The pace is a bit slow but this is a very cool Light Gun game. I took it for a test run and got to level 5. Turns out my Light Phaser is broken. I had to use the joystick mode. I can’t help but think it would be a lot more fun with the gun. It’s complete and in amazing condition!
Spiderman
The Flash
I haven’t had a chance to try these two out yet. But based on the covers alone I will love adding them to the collection. The condition on these two is not as pristine as the others above but they are still complete and in great shape. Very exciting stuff.
The Flintstones
Tom and Jerry the Movie
I have the Tectoy version of the Flintstones in OK shape but now I have the PAL version in better shape and complete. The condition is not amazing but it’s certainly good enough.
Tom and Jerry is another cool looking game that I haven’t yet had a chance to try out. It’s complete and in amazing condition!
I’m actually a little over whelmed with these titles and their condition. I’m really pleased. But it doesn’t stop here. StopXWhispering also got me two Sega Mark III games for my collection.
Sega Mark III Games
The condition is not perfect but for very old cardboard cases they are in great shape! It’s been a very long time since I’ve added to my Sega Mark III collection and I’m now up to 40 boxed games!
When I was cleaning up I discovered something that I had over looked and almost threw out.
Bead Art!
Check out the little black bird side-kick for Psycho Fox. He’s very well done! And I’ve placed him with some of my other Bead Art. Maybe he should be on one of the Master System Shelves but he nicely completed the symmetry on the Genesis shelves. The Sonic and Opa Opa were also made by and given to me by StopXWhispering. Thank you!
Don’t know the little bird? Have a look here.
Psycho Fox Side-Kick!
Sooo… wow. Very fun. It’s much better trading then just buying all the time. I really enjoyed this. Thank you StopXWhispering! Lets do it again sometime 🙂
**Update** STOPXWHISPERING has posted the games I sent her for this trade. Check out the flip side here.
Retail Release coming soon.
Looks very promising!
WaterMelon Team Shop
Retro Megabit 
