Genesis – Phantasy Star 2 and 3 (Upgrade)

Posted by Sega Dude on July 23, 2011
Posted in: Games, Genesis (North America). Tagged: , , , , , . 1 Comment

So I thought I had done it. I managed to find some loose items to complete or upgrade the condition for my Phantasy Star 2 and 3. One of these items was the Phantasy Star 2 hint book which is in pretty good condition.

Sega Genesis Phantasy Star 2

Sega Genesis Phantasy Star 3

Sega Genesis Phantasy Star II

I was pretty stoked when I received my Phantasy Star hint book. It’s not mint but it’s in good shape. It cost me $30 including $5 for shipping. I thought this was not great but ok. If I were selling the hint book I’m sure I’d want more than $10-15 for it too. *I don’t recall what I paid for the game itself and the other items you see with it. Was too long ago now.
When I added it to the collection I opened up my Phantasy Star 2 to check it out… thinking finally, done! I can close this chapter 🙂 But instead, some how, I had forgotten that I don’t have the manual for the game and my map is good but not great. So my Phantasy Star 2 is still not complete… but getting there.I was also very excited to receive an order I placed for a Phantasy Star 3 cartridge, manual and map. This set cost me $24 all in. looking back I don’t think I should have done it. If the items were mint it would have been ok. But as good as they are my Phantasy Star 3 is not like new it’s just good. And for this title that’s probably going to have to be enough for me. In the future I think I would be better off holding out for a complete set in very good condition and not mess around with upgrading.  *Although, I do have a mint copy of the Japanese Mega Drive game Vapor Trail which is missing the cartridge. If I can find an inexpensive cart I’ll pick that up. I think it’s easier to get carts in good shape.
In addition you can see the Phantasy Star 3 hint book. This I bought separately and it cost me $20 all in.
I’m realizing that I don’t actually like saying what I’ve been spending on these games! It forces me to take a more critical look at my hobby. But when I find myself reading others posts I know this kind of detail is interesting so I think I’ll continue to do it.
Before I could even finish writing this post I managed to buy another copy of Phantasy Star 2.  It cost me $50 all in, it’s complete with hint book and all of it appears to be in very good condition. So it’s very like that what you see above will be for trade soon! I’ll post again when it arrives. Clearly Phantasy Star makes me a little nuts.

Elemental Master – Mini Project

Posted by Sega Dude on July 1, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

elemental-master-banner

For a long while now I thought I had a copy of Elemental Master for the Genesis. Until just recently when I discovered that the cartridge doesn’t work. I find it so rare that these old carts don’t work. And yet here’s one in my collection.
I found a working cart on ebay and won the auction for $4.85 including shipping. The only problem was the label has a large sticker on it that’s not coming off. So I’m going to open my old cart and this new one and swap them out so that the working game is in the nicest cartridge case. I haven’t decided yet if I should spend some time sourcing the the special screw driver used for these carts or just find a way with what tools I already have.

If I manage this swap I’ll post again with some details.

If you don’t know of Elemental Master it’s very much like Thunder Force III except you play a magic dude and not a ship. The game progresses up from bottom to top (like Phelios) and not from left to right and it’s all fantasy themed. It’s a really well done game.

Elemental Master

Thunder Force III

Beat-up but working.

New Addition – Vapor Trail (Genesis)

Posted by Sega Dude on June 27, 2011
Posted in: Games, Genesis (North America), Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Vapor Trail Banner

So I was in a local Flea Market shopping for beef patties when I discovered a few Retro Video Game vendors. One guy had several games that I would have picked up but he wanted $20 each for about 7 games. I tried for $10 a piece but he would not go for it. If I had a chance to get my hands on them (they were tucked away behind his display case) and see the condition close up I might have gone for $15 each but only if they were in excellent shape.

So I walked away with nothing from this guy and found another. He had less in his Genesis inventory but I did find a good condition Vapor Trail. It’s a great two player shooter that I used to play a lot back in the day so I was happy to pick it up for $15.

I would consider this particular copy to be in very good shape. Not excellent or mint but very good. A few nicks in a few places but that’s it. I will have to get it a new case with a tab but that always happens; it’s just a mater of time.

Vapor Trail Front (Genesis)

Vapor Trail Back (Genesis)

Below is some gameplay footage that I’ve recorded from an actual Sega Genesis:

I personally feel that Vapor Trail is an excellent shooter and I’d recommend it to any retro video gaming fan.

English Star Odyssey now for Sale!

Posted by Sega Dude on June 22, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Star Odyssey Banner

My sense of timing for my Blue Almanac post was pretty well on the mark. Just this morning I found an email from Brandon Cobb of Super Fighter Team stating that Star Odyssey is now for sale.
Star Odyssey is the never before released English version of Blue Almanac. If you’re still into 16-bit gaming you’ve got chance at picking up a cool looking RPG that most every non Japanese speaker missed out on.

Star Odyssey Order Page

Here’s a look at the email notice that I received:

Brandon Cobb bcobb@superfighter.com

Hello, friends!

I vividly recall the first time I set my eyes on the ramshackle prototype of Blue Almanac as it had been adapted into pseudo-English. Here I held a game cartridge that few eyes had ever looked upon, despite it having been advertised in the publications of the time. People saw it, and people had interest in it, and despite that? POOF. Gone. Never set right with me for a moment. And that’s fine, because Super Fighter Team has made it our job to remedy unfair situations like that one.

As I was putting the finishing touches on the game’s new script, I took a look at one of those old press ads for the first time. The phrase “Your Star Odyssey is about to begin!” caught my eyes immediately, locking me in a silent moment of realization. We did it! We took this thing from myth to manifest. As a result, perhaps a few of the people who stared longingly at the blurry screenshots inside those early ’90s magazines will now find some pleasant closure. I’m damned proud of that thought.

—
June 22, 2011: Twenty years to the day after the release of Blue Almanac in Japan. We have done right by Hot-B Co., Ltd., licensing their fantastic role-playing adventure set in the future, and preparing it for a long overdue release worldwide.

We now invite you to enjoy the fruit of that hard work, by visiting the game’s official website and ordering a copy…

http://www.starodysseygame.com/

You’re sure to enjoy it.

—
Thank you for your interest and attention. We appreciate your support, as we would not exist without it. So long as we have such support, we will continue to fight the good fight, producing great new games for your favorite systems.

—
– Brandon Cobb
President, Super Fighter Team

E-mail: bcobb@superfighter.com
Web: http://www.superfighter.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/superfighterteam

“Never let dreams die!”
—–

Early this morning when I first tried to place my order the site wasn’t actually ready for orders. By the time I got home from work and tried again all was good.
It will cost American residence $48 US and the rest of us $55 US (the difference is in the cost of shipping).

Now, if only I had a few people reading my blog I might feel like I’ve done my part 😛

Blue Almanac / Star Odyssey

Posted by Sega Dude on June 16, 2011
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

Star Odyssey Banner

For a long time now (years) I’ve been very close to buying a Japanese Mega Drive game called Blue Almanac. I never knew anything about it other than it’s a Japanese RPG that I would not be able to play. But the cover art always caught my eye. It looks cool and I think it’s a Sci Fi RPG; which is also very cool and much less common than the typical Fantasy RPG (which I also love :)).

By chance a month (or several) ago I noticed a game called Beggar Prince on ebay. I had never heard of it before so I Googled it. It didn’t take too long to discover Super Fighter Team. This team has been developing classic videos games and have already released two games for the Sega Genesis: Beggar Prince and Legend of Wukong.

I emailed Super Fight Team and asked if they would be selling Beggar Prince again (which was no longer for sale). I didn’t get a very definitive answer. But it seems to me that it is a possibility; although I suspect it’s slim. Below is the email response I received:

Hello.
Thank you for your interest in Beggar Prince. Should we decide to produce additional copies of the game, you will be notified.
Have a nice day.
—
– Brandon Cobb
President, Super Fighter Team
E-mail: bcobb@superfighter.com
Web: http://www.superfighter.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/superfighterteam
“Never let dreams die!”

I sent the email request because the prices for Beggar Prince on ebay were wildly high and I knew I’d never end up with a copy if that was my only option. But at the time I was still able to order Legend of Wukong. With shipping it cost me $60 USD. It’s a lot of money for a 16-bit retro game but it’s new and I really like the idea of supporting people who are bringing us new games for the Genesis. The bottom line is I am very happy with Super Fighter Team and I’ll be keeping a close eye on their releases!

Now, back to Blue Almanac… Super Fighter Team is actually in the process of translating this game into English.
It’s English title  is Star Odyssey and I was quick to join their mailing list for the release announcement for this game. I’ll be ordering Star Odyssey it as soon as it’s available.

Below are some images of marketing material from back in the day as well as cover art for the upcoming release. I believe this was a planned release that never saw the light of day for whatever reason:

Star Odyssey

Your Star Odyssey Begins…

Super Fighter Team Star Odyssey

And a link for some screens shots of this cool looking Sci Fi RPG!

Xam’d, Pier Solar Fan Made Covers

Posted by Sega Dude on June 14, 2011
Posted in: Community, Genesis (North America), Mega Drive (EURO), Mega Drive (Japanese). Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

Pier Solar Custom Covers

A little while ago after discovering and purchasing Pier Solar (an excellent RPG for the Genesis) I stumbled into a few related gems.
The first was that Pier Solar has an audio CD and when used in a Sega CD in conjunction with the game cartridge the CD provides the game with background sound that is far superior to the cartridge alone.  The Posterity Edition of Pier Solar comes with this CD but the Reprint edition does not. However,  since you can download this CD to burn on your own blank disc no one will lose out.
The only downside is was you might not have a pretty display case to hold your CD.

Enter Xam’d! A fellow Genesis fan and huge fan of Pier Solar. Xam’d created some excellent cover art for a variety of CD cases for this Pier Solar audio CD for anyone who has the Reprint Edition. And I am one of these people. Even though I do have the CD included in my Posterity Edition my Reprint Edition felt incomplete and I was very pleased to find Xam’d’s work.
Since I already have a few games in DVD cases in my collection I chose to go with the DVD case layout (vs. the CD jewel Case option). And of the 3 options I picked ‘Cover B’ because it appealed the most to me. Here’s a picture of Xam’d’s awesome work in my collection.

I like and appreciate Xam’d efforts so much that I sent out an email asking if I could host a copy of the covers here on my site. Just today I received a reply and Xam’d is more than happy to spread the love and share his work.

Cover A (North American Style)

Cover B (Japanese Style)

Cover C (European Style)

CD Jewel Case Front

CD Jewel Case Back

This is Xam’d’s Pier Solar Post where I first discovered these covers.
In Xam’d’s email to me the following comment was made:
“PS: Maybe there will be a Wallpaper soon…. 😉 ”
I’m hopeful that we can look forward to more of this excellent work. This is the kind of stuff that I really love from an Internet Community.

I plan on adding a section in my site to include custom work like this and to give credit where it is due. Many of my banners include art work that needs some acknowledgement.