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.

Tanglewood Poster – Live on Kickstarter Now!

Posted by Sega Dude on August 15, 2019
Posted in: Community, Genesis (North America), Mega Drive (EURO), Mega Drive (Japanese), SEGA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

**Campaign Ended September 15, 2019**

Hello All! I am so excited to announce that my very first Kickstarter Campaign is Live Now!

Please consider visiting my Tanglewood Full Size (24″x36″) Poster on Kickstarter.

What is my Kickstarter offering? I’m glad you asked:

A beautiful full sized (24″x36″) colour Tanglewood Poster depicting the video game Tanglewood by Big Evil Corporation.

The wonderful artwork depicted in this Tanglewood Poster was created by the very talented Luis Martins. Luis has been a creative tour de force for many modern retro video games; including creating the cover art for Tanglewood and the infamous Paprium.

Want to see the Dude behind Retro Megabit? Watch my video for all the details and a preview of the Tanglewood Poster:

I’d like to extend a heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to Matt Phillips the creator of Tanglewood and founder of Big Evil Corporation for making this project possible. This Tanglewood Poster is licensed by Big Evil Corporation and is an official Tanglewood product.

And of course, an equally giant ‘Thank You’ to Luis Martins for creating such a wonderful piece of art. I personally feel Luis’ work has captured the incredibly strong emotion that Tanglewood the video game has crafted.

Anything you can do to help spread the word would be greatly appreciated. This is a project for retro gaming fans and I’m very hopeful that this Tanglewood Poster is something many of us will enjoy.

Tanglewood Full Size (24″x36″) Poster Kickstarter

Update: So my beloved Kickstarter came and went amassing only 12% of the required goal for a successful campaign. Of course I really wanted to be able to print and ship this wonderful poster but even after failing I have found some satisfaction in the fact that I did try and I honestly believe I put in a good effort despite the results.

I still refuse to believe that there aren’t 100 people out there who want a beautiful Tanglewood Poster. Tanglewood the game is brilliant and the games cover art is beautiful. I’m sure I just wasn’t able to find the right crowd. And for that I do apologize. If I can find a way to re-invent this project I certainly will.

Pick-Ups – Sega CD Revenge and Avenger!

Posted by Sega Dude on March 25, 2019
Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, SEGA. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

So I’ve started to notice that while Sega CD games are not found as frequently through my favorite hunting grounds (Classifieds, Forums and Games Swaps) as compared to Sega Genesis Games they do appear regularly enough; specially considering how relatively small the Sega CD library is.

This Chuck Rock II Son of Chuck is actually an upgrade for my previous one. There was nothing much wrong with my old version except the manual was missing the back cover. This new one pictured below cost me $50 CAD (~$37 USD) and is in really great condition (found on Kijiji.ca). With any luck I’ll be able to sell the other for close to the same price.

Chuck Rock II, much like the first Chuck Rock, is just an average platformer. Maybe there’s some fun to be had here but I didn’t feel inspired to play it for very long.

The next three games are much more interesting… which is interesting in itself.

None of them are what you typically think of when you think 16-bit retro video games. One is a point and click adventure and the other two are animated Full Motion Video (FMV) Games.

…for the most part I hate FMV games.

The exception are the FMV games that are animated cartoons instead of live action. The Live Action titles reek of poor acting, poor scripts, poor stories and poor gameplay. To some this campy cheese has made these games endearing. But I can’t count myself among them. They just suck.

That’s not to say that the cartoon FMV games are amazing. Man alive, they are pretty dated. But they are playable. And as I’m discovering they’re kinda fun!

Road Avenger cost me $65 USD (~$87 CAD) and Secret of Monkey Island $75 USD (~$100 CAD). Unlike Chuck Rock II (which was priced a bit high) Road Avenger and Secret of Monkey Island cost me a little less than the average listed price at PirceCharting.com. These games I got from a solid member at Sega-16.com who goes by the handle SpaceFlea. Thanks SpaceFlea!

The final pick-up for today is Revenge of the Ninja which I found on Kijiji for $50 CAD (~$37 USD). Revenge of the Ninja and Road Avenger are the two most exciting pick-ups here and both play very much like Dragon’s Lair; which I believe is the game that started the trend of cartoon FMV games.

Of course Revenge of the Ninja and Road Avenger aren’t on Laserdisc like the original format for Dragon’s Lair and it’s painfully obvious how much visual quality is lost playing such games on a Sega CD or Mega CD.

However, the games are very playable and surprisingly fun but I’m not sure how much replay value they’ll hold.

Inside Revenge of the Ninja I found a receipt from July 2012. It would appear that my newly acquired Revenge of the Ninja sold for $10 CAD (~$7.50 USD) 7 years ago. I love seeing this kind of history and not surprisingly someone got a much better deal than I did. looks like 2012 was the time to get into the Sega CD!

Since we don’t yet have access to time travel we each need to decide what these old games are worth to us. I started my retro video game collection in 1998 (starting with the Sega Master System) and over the decades it has always surprised me how popular these old games are for a lot of people. And this popularity is reflected in continually rising prices.

I’d love to hear what you think about the Sega CD. What are your favorite titles? Do you like FVM games?

Pick-Ups – Sega Master System Mortal Kombat

Posted by Sega Dude on March 15, 2019
Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, SEGA, Sega Master System. Tagged: , , , . 2 Comments

Thanks to Retro Quest, a lovely retro toy and video games store, I’ve manage to score a complete and excellent condition Mortal Kombat II for the Sega Master System.

Priced at $65 CAD (~$49 USD) this local pick-up was a good bit cheaper than PriceCharting.com‘s estimated value of $67 USD (~$90 CAD).

The Store Owner told me that this was his own copy of Mortal Kombat from back in the day. At one point he had been obsessed with all things Mortal Kombat and he held this game near and dear for a very long time.

I like to think it’s gone to a good new home. Thank you Retro Quest for the great deal!

Retro Quest will ship so you USA Retro Fanatics be sure to check them out.

I believe that Mortal Kombat II is the harder of the two Master System versions to find so I was really pleased to add it to the collection for a very fair price. At the time of this post recently sold ebay listing showed a few sales ranging from $45 USD to $60 USD plus shipping.

Below are some lovely glamor shots of both my Mortal Kombat I and II.


I really do feel very lucky to have so many complete Sega Master System Games. Despite how plain many of the earlier game cases are on a whole they look awesome. The Master System is a great console to collect.

Of course these 8-bit versions of Mortal Kombat are not the ideal way to play the franchise but I love having them. Even though it’s been many years since I was into Mortal Kombat I’m now tempted to pick-up a used copy of Mortal Kombat X for the PS4.

With any luck Nintendo Joe will also be keen to re-visit Outworld!

Pick-ups – Sega CD Model 1

Posted by Sega Dude on December 16, 2018
Posted in: Games, Genesis (North America), Hardware, SEGA. Tagged: , , , , , . 6 Comments

For a very long time I’ve mostly ignored Sega’s CD add-on for the Sega Genesis. Known as the Sega CD in North America and the Mega CD for the rest of the world.

Back in the day it came out when my interest in my Genesis was fading (shame on me) and for decades beyond when I got into collecting I put most of my attention on just cartridge games for the Sega Genesis and Sega Master System.

Then in the past year after diving in and getting a chance to try out some really great Sega CD games (Snatcher, Dark Wizard, Popful Mail and Lunar) this add-on hardware that was, in its day, tainted by terrible ‘Full Motion Video (FMV) Games‘ has since won me over.

So much so, that I took some time to take a really pretty picture of it.

I’m going to start by saying the Model 2 Sega CD is just fine. Sure, optical drives are prone to wear out but that being said Sega made a pretty good piece of kit.

I’ve read that the model 1 Sega CD is actually more prone to failure and is harder to find as it had a shorter production run before being replaced by the model 2.

But there is something about the look of the Model 1 Sega CD that I really like. Stacked with a Model 1 Sega Genesis it some how pulls off looking part retro and modern; and combines to make something very unique and just plain awesome.

What I don’t love about the Model 1 Sega CD is that it typically costs about double the Model 2. So if the Model 2 Sega CD’s cost about $100 then we’re looking at about $200 for a Model 1 Sega CD.

What did I pay for my very pretty Model 1 Sega CD?

It cost me $240 CAD (~$180 USD). But wait! Just hold on… I can explain. I first saw this exact unit at one of my favorite local retro game shops (Retro Game Bros.) about 6-10 months ago when it’s sticker price was $350 CAD (~$260 USD). It had this steep price tag because it had been fully refurbished. It had the motor and laser replaced in addition to a full capacitors replacement. In fact, I’m told that the laser is a NOS Sega CD laser. The exact model originally used for the Model 1 Sega CD. I don’t know if that really matters but if nothing else it is cool and note worthy.

It’s my hope that this translates into a Sega CD unit that is going to have a very healthy and long life span. And that is easily worth the $40 premium.

I was able to get it for $240 discounted from $350 because of a wildly amazing Black Friday day sale put on by the glorious Retro Game Bros. Thank you guys!

And the steep discounts didn’t stop there. Oh, no… they did not.

There was another item at Retro Game Bros. that I had previously passed up and as fate would have it I found myself staring at it again this past Black Friday.

For $140 CAD they had a good condition Model 2 Sega CD box. Complete with packing and papers, everything except the hardware. I didn’t really want it at $140 but I asked about the sale price and they told me it would be $120 but before I could even blink they offered it up for $100 CAD (~$75). This is what I call a feel good price. Thanks guys!

Now my model 2 Sega CD will get packed away in a good condition Sega CD box while my new Model 1 Sega CD becomes the newest show piece for the man-cave. It still needs the Sewer Shark game disc (which wont be hard to find) but otherwise it’s complete.

Here’s a another photo of my New Sega CD along with one of my more recent favorite Sega Genesis games, Tanglewood.

I also bought a very nice Alien Crush for the TurboGrafx-16 from Retro Game Bros. that I already owned and it should have been Devil’s Crush that I bought… but I don’t want to talk about that blunder any longer. Kijiji will fix it.

Don’t forget to head over to see Nintendo Joe at My Nintendo Dimension for his Black Friday Retro Game Bros. scores.

Paprium Launch Party and Live Demo

Posted by Sega Dude on October 30, 2018
Posted in: Community, Games, Genesis (North America), Mega Drive (EURO), Mega Drive (Japanese), SEGA. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

The modern made video game and ‘IN YOUR FACE!’ brawler PAPRIUM for the 1990’s Sega Mega Drive and Sega Genesis has finally launched!

Or has it?

On October 27th, 2018 Gwénaël Godde (a.k.a Fonzie) of Watermelon Games performed a live demo of PAPRIUM for the Sega Mega Drive / Sega Genesis at a launch party that was both celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Sega Mega Drive and the release of Paprium.

Here’s how I know this:

“On the 27th of October 2018, we are having a party in Paris, France. Let’s celebrate SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive’s 30th anniversary and the release of PAPRIUM.” -Gwénaël Godde

But… something was missing; the video game Paprium.

What was shown was a very incomplete version of the game.

How could it possibly be that Paprium is ready for launch?

In short, and despite the quote above, this party was intended only as a celebration of the 30th anniversary. While having a glimpse of an old build of PAPRIUM was to be considered a bonus that didn’t have enough content to offer any spoilers. Is that true or does a complete version of PAPRIUM not exist?

The following message is believed to have come from Fonzie or Watermelon Games.
(*Sorry folks I have no actual facts. Consume all this with some healthy skepticism.)

https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/443057080287363073/506444950343385088/Screenshot_20181029-122518__01.jpg?width=259&height=400

It’s safe to say that everyone’s disappointment at this event is entirely understandable. Communications from Watermelon Games has been exceptionally muddled and confusing.

Keep an eye on Watermelon’s Facebook page for more news.

Below is a recording of the live demonstration/party which showed off what we are told is an old Beta version of PAPRIUM. Hopefully it’s current state is much more complete and polished.

Despite all the heartbreak the one really good bit of news to come from this event is that after a very long absence Gwénaël Godde (a.k.a Fonzie) is back and it appears that he is intent on completing and delivering PAPRIUM.

Personally, I’m a bit concerned of all the very negative backlash Fonzie is receiving. Of course it’s understandable but I’m afraid of the retro gaming community pushing so hard that Fonzie might just disappear again. If he’s willing to show that’s he’s taking the game seriously and that he’s still able to deliver a game to everyone who paid then I am willing to continue to support Fonize, Watermelon Games and Paprium.

Are you relieved that PAPRIUM appears to have some traction again? Are you raging mad? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this heated topic. Don’t pull any punches. PAPRIUM wouldn’t.

Below is the original email communication which announced the October 27th 30th anniversary party:

October 8th, 2018 PAPRIUM Release date Announcement:

“On the 27th of October 2018, we are having a party in Paris, France. Let’s celebrate SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive’s 30th anniversary and the release of PAPRIUM.

We understand this is a long trip but if by any chance you are around at that time, you’re of course very welcome. Please contact us at 1988@watermelon-games.com for booking and details.

The party starts at 19PM for some talk with WM and some 16-bit fun and then turn into electro music feast from 23PM until 6AM.

The event is free but booking is required in advance. PS: We are working hard to ensure you to receive your games around that time but we can’t guarantee it at the moment.

You will receive another email shortly to confirm your shipping address. For the few people still awaiting for their refunds on Paypal, we are still looking for a solution at the moment, thanks for the extra patience.”

-Gwénaël Godde

Don’t forget to follow the Sega Dude and Retro Megabit on Instagram!

https://www.instagram.com/retromegabit/