TheSegaCollection Update September 9, 2012

Posted by Sega Dude on September 9, 2012
Posted in: Games, Genesis (North America), Hardware, Mega Drive (Japanese), Sega Master System, Toys. Tagged: , , , , , . 12 Comments

So I’m all out of money and currently have no new additions for the collection. However, over the summer I have really added a lot to the collection and it does look significantly different since my June 2011 picture that I previously had on my Images page.

Updated Sega Collection

This picture is very similar to the image I posted when I received my 20th Anniversary Sonic from some close friends but I stepped back at bit so you can see more of my gaming room. When I bought the extra shelf and new TV stand I didn’t consider how much space I have. The arm chair is nearly wedged in between the right shelf and the couch but everything fits well enough for now.

In real life the white wall behind the collection doesn’t looks so stark against the dark furniture. It really does feel more snug and cozy in person. 🙂

I still have to finish the my TV stand by installing two more shelves and putting the back on. I think it will look much neater whenever I finally get to it. I should also clean up the misc stuff under the shelves.

A little more of my humble Man Cave… ok… Boy Cave.

Stepping a little further back you can see a wee bit more of my game room. I was really into collecting Sideshow Collectibles figures until they just got too expensive. So I’m learning to be content with the ones I have. I will still buy new ones if I can find them for under $100, but that’s not going to happen often. I have another cabinet with more along another wall.

I also picked up a RetroDuo Famiclone which you can see just to the right of the TV. It’s not perfect but it plays most NES and SNES carts well enough.

I’ve updated my Archive page with a history/timeline of the collection. With any luck there will be many more update to come 😀

Pier Solar Game Guide and Watermelon Team`s Newest Project

Posted by Sega Dude on August 30, 2012
Posted in: Genesis (North America), Mega Drive (EURO), Mega Drive (Japanese). Tagged: , , , . 6 Comments

It`s exciting to see that Watermelon Team, the creators of Pier Solar, are not slowing down and still firmly entrenched in making the 16-bit gaming era new again. The Watermelon team is currently working on a Game Guide for Pier Solar and the Great Architects.

There`s currently no ETA but from the small teaser seen below it`s obvious that they`re well on their way.

Pier Solar Game Guide Sneak Peek

In addition to the game guide Watermelon team has been busy working on a new entry for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. Currently known only as Project Y this new game will be styled after classic Genesis Beat’em Up games like Streets of Rage with some RPG elements woven in.

Watermelon Team’s Project Y

There are very few details so far but based on the quality of Pier Solar we have every reason to be excited about this up-coming game. Specially after sampling some of the lore behind this new entry:

“Project Y takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, set in an Asian high-tech metropolis. The last survivors of the nuclear war are divided into several classes, where the most powerful have the others by the balls. This has divided the governing bodies into several fractions, where ethnic mafias and a corrupt corporation are just a few of them! As you can see, this story is filled with many possible scenarios. It will demand lots of exploring and several playthroughs to get everything out of it.”

Pier Solar Original Sound Track

Posted by Sega Dude on August 25, 2012
Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, Genesis (North America), Mega Drive (EURO), Mega Drive (Japanese). Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

I’ve never purchased a video game sound track before but I did not hesitate when it came to the Pier Solar Original Sound track (OST).

About a year ago when I discovered that an entirely new game had been created for the Mega Drive/Genesis on December 24, 2008 I was completly shocked and excited. I was too late to buy Pier Solar directly from the WaterMelon Team but I worked hard (a.k.a. threw $100 at the problem) and bought my postarity edition of Pier Solar on ebay.

Had this game came out when the Genesis was current it would have been one of it’s tripple A titles. It’s that good. And when the WaterMelon Team released the less pretty reprint editin I bought the game again. It’s that good 🙂

Even now the Pier Solar hype has not died down for me. So much so that I wanted the OST to compliment my Peir Solor collection.

See how pretty it looks and sounds:

Pier Solar OST

Pier Solar Collection Front

Pier Solar Collection Back

The Pier Solar OST is still available for sale from the WaterMelon Team and for anyone who has only the reprint edition of Pier Solar this OST will have extra value for you. It includes the enhanced sound track which when used in the Sega CD and in conjunction with the cart augments the games sound and music. I’ve read that this feature is a first for a Genesis/Mega Drive cartridge.

Yes, you can download the enhanced sound track and burn it to CD yourself but I’m really enjoying this very nicely polished version.

Here are a few additional details about the Pier Solar OST:

The Definitive Original Soundtrack – everything a fan could dream of! In a stunning packaging with four BUNG-FULL discs, that can be played in any CD player, computer or even your Mega-CD/Sega CD.
Discs 1 & 2 contain the game’s original Mega-CD/Sega CD tracks.
Disc 3 contains remixes by famous artists, rare unused tracks & alternates.
Disc 4 is our famous Enhanced Soundtrack Disc, the Mega-CD/Sega CD disc to be played with any Pier Solar cartridge!
Also included is the full FM soundtrack in .VGM digital format, for your computer or smartphone.

Genesis – Wonder Boy In Monster World (Upgrade)

Posted by Sega Dude on August 17, 2012
Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, Genesis (North America). Tagged: , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

I find it’s rare to get a chance to buy specific components for a particular game at a price that’s worth while. I remember trying to upgrade the condition of my Genesis Phantasy Star 2 and I ended up spending a lot more money than expected and still not being really satisfied until I finally just bought a whole new copy that was entirely in good shape.

Phantasy Star Upgrade 1
Phantasy Star Upgrade 2

When I saw an ebay post for a sleeve cover for Wonder Boy In Monster World I was interested but not enough to jump on it. It had a starting bid of $10 plus $2 for shipping. It was an ok price but some whole games sell for that. I watched long enough to see the seller list it twice. During the second listing I emailed an offer of $10 including shipping. He waited until the current listed ended without a sale and then took my offer.
Really I was being pretty stingy over the extra $2 but I’ve never felt like I’ve come out ahead when trying to upgrade. I need a little extra something.

When the sleeve arrive I was happy to find it was in excellent shape. Much better than my previous one which had a bad spot on the top of the spine. As you can see circled in red on the first image below. This area use to be mostly white until I colored it black… but it was still pretty visible.

Old Damaged Sleeve

New Excellent Sleeve

My Upgraded Wonder Boy in Monster World

I’m really not very sure any more but I think I spent about $20 on my Wonder Boy plus the $10 upgrade. So it’s now a $30 game and I think I could find it whole and in good shape for that price. So was it worth while? I’m still on the fence about upgrading 🙂 But I guess it’s ok.

Because the manual is a bit too wrinkly I’m going to say this Wonder Boy in Monster World is in very good condition instead of excellent.

The game itself is awesome. One of the better Genesis titles. Great graphics, fun action, RPG elements such as upgrading your gear and a save feature for your progress. An excellent Wonder Boy installment and an excellent Genesis game.

Five Mega Drive Games – New Additions (DickTracy…)

Posted by Sega Dude on August 12, 2012
Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, Mega Drive (Japanese). Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 8 Comments

I had Dick Tracy from when it was current and it has surprised me twice now. When I first got it I was pretty sure it would be lame. Thinking back I can’t remember why I chose to get it? A gift maybe?… But what I do remember is enjoying this game.
The game is similar to Shinobi in that you walk from left to right, jump, duck, and shoot or punch. But what brings it above mediocre and into the realm of good games is the Tommy Gun and how it works. On some levels there are basically to plains. In the foreground where you are you can punch enemies or shoot them with your pistol. Enemies appearing in the background get cleaned up with the Tommy Gun. When you’re firing the Tommy Gun you slide the bullet spray across anyone you want to take out and it really works. It’s easy to do and really feels like your firing a fully automatic weapon. Switching back and forth between enemies in different locations creates a great dynamic to the game and helps keep things interesting.
My second Dick Tracy surprise was this game still holds up. The mechanics and feel still really work. And it’s not an expensive game 🙂
This Dick Tracy of mine got the Sharpie marker treatment in a few spots along the bottom of the cover sleeve. It was very easy to clean up but because of this I’d say it’s in good condition instead of excellent condition.

ZOOM! is an ok puzzle game. It’s no Poyu Poyu but if the puzzle genre is your thing it’s worth a look. ZOOM! has a small crack in the case but it’s still in very good condition.

The Kick Boxing… maybe that should be “Kick Boxing” or “The Kick Boxer”? 🙂 Well, we know where they’re going with this one and it seems like an OK game. The graphics are actually pretty good and it feels like this game was taken pretty seriously. It’s definitely not a button masher. Although I wasn’t very good it feels like there are some real solid game mechanics at here. Even though I didn’t notice right away once I did I found it weird that there was no music during game play. But the sound effects are really good for a 16-bit game. This one is in excellent condition.

Minato No Trazia is yet another RPG that I wont be able to play but I still enjoy getting RPG’s into the collection. The video clip below isn’t going to show much… I thought youtube had everything? I might have to get into recording my own stuff. Minato No Trazia has a very small crack in the case but it’s still in very good condition.

Super Daisenryaku. The best thing I can say is it was cheap and in excellent shape. It’s a tactical combat game that’s here to be a back drop for the games I actually like. Maybe it’s a good game but I’ll never know. Only those gifted with the Japanese language could say.
It is in excellent condition and has two unique manuals.

Dick Tracy

ZOOM!

The Kick Boxing

Minato No Trazia

Super Daisenryaku

So again, nothing super exciting but some good with some filler.

Dick Tracy – $12.00
ZOOM! – $5.00
The Kick Boxing  – $5.00
Minato No Trazia – $10.00
Super Daisenryaku – $3.00

Plus $15.00 for shipping. Which is less than $10 per game.

Four Mega Drive Games – New Additions

Posted by Sega Dude on August 6, 2012
Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, Mega Drive (Japanese). Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 13 Comments

For a long time I’ve been curious about Runark. I didn’t know about it when the it was new I only started to get familiar with it during my Internet hunting. On occasion I would see it and it was always pretty expensive. When I youtubed it I thought it look pretty good. I wasn’t able to get a great deal on it but I bought it anyways. It has great artwork and it’s in excellent condition.

Runark is Streets of Rages meets Indiana Jones. Except you’re not digging up ancient treasure or bringing a beat down to the criminal underworld you’re rescuing animals from evil poachers.
Ok, good enough… Plot was never a real concern for the 8bit and 16bit era.
There is a lot of variety to this game. Four Heroes to chose from, all sorts of in game weapons including plenty of items in the levels to interact with. It’s not as good as Street of Rage or Golden Axe and Runark is not afraid to re-use sprites but it’s still a really good game. This one surprised me.

Star Cruiser sucks but it’s in excellent condition and it will help fill up the shelves up.

Wrestleball looks like it could be ok but I doubt I’ll ever give it a real shot. It’s here to fill up the selves. It’s in excellent condition.

Speed Ball 2 is pretty close to the same game as Wrestleball but the graphics do seem to be a bit better. Again it’s in excellent condition and it will do it’s part too.

Runark

Star Cruiser

Wrestleball

Speed Ball 2

As always I’m pretty happy with cheap games that are in great shape even if the game itself isn’t that hot. And thank goodness the one expensive game is actually a good one.

Runark – $40.00
Star Cruiser – $6.00
Wrestleball – $3.00
Speed Ball 2- $12.00

Plus $15.00 for shipping. Which sets me at $19 per game… mostly thanks to Runark.