Videogames Hardware Handbook
January 30, 2010 by Tim · Leave a Comment
I’m a big fan of Retro Gamer magazine, despite how expensive it is to get here in the US (it’s a UK import). It’s a fantastic classic gaming mag, jam packed with lots of great content in every issue (the typical issue is 114 pages, with virtually no ads).
One of my favorite parts of the magazine is their recurring “Retroinspection” feature. With this feature, they give an overview of a particular gaming platform. They go into its history, its strenghts and weaknesses, relevance in the marketplace at the time, and oftentimes even interview key players involved with the platform in some way. These articles are a great introduction to the different platforms that are out there, and the “Perfect Ten” portions where they recommend 10 games everyone should play are a great way to figure out where to start when exploring a new system.
So, when Retro Gamer released a compliation of past Retroinspections over the holidays, I knew I had to have it — especially considering how interested I am in collecting hardware. Videogames Hardware Handbook: The Game Machine Collector’s Manual covers a 22 year timespan from 1977 to 1999 and covers everything from consoles to handhelds to odd British 8-bit computers that we never saw over here (but are crazy popular over there). You get info on all the platforms you’d expect, like the Atari 2600, NES, Genesis (or the Mega Drive, as they call it), plus some of the more obscure, like the 3DO, Jaguar, NEC PC-FX, and 8-bits like the ZX Spectrum and Dragon 32. Basically, it’s 256 pages of pure content covering 35 different platforms.
Unfortunately, though, it’s not comprehensive. Since this is a compliation of past articles instead of fresh content, anything that wasn’t already covered in a Retroinspection isn’t included. So, no Colecovision, no 32X, no Neo-Geo, and no PlayStation. Nevertheless, if you’re into retro game collecting, I’m finding it a fascinating compliation and a great value.
Note that I’m in no way affiliated with Imagine Publishing and this isn’t a paid ad or anything. I just really like Retro Gamer magazine and this special edition. I want everyone to know about it! And I want it to sell well enough that they make a second volume covering all the platforms that weren’t included in this edition…
Sega’s disjointed hardware strategy: A story in pictures
It’s no secret that Sega was all over the place towards the end of the 16-bit era in terms of their hardware strategy. There were two models of the base Genesis, two models of the basic Sega CD, the CDX combination system, third party hardware like the JVC X’Eye and other licensed devices, the Nomad, and, of course, the 32X. In other words, what a mess!
So, I always knew things had gotten complicated for Sega fans around the time of the 32X’s release, but now that I’ve picked up a new-in-box console myself, it’s really become clear how bad it really was. One of my favorite parts of getting an unopened gaming item from years past is looking through the stuff that comes in the box. Not just the game, systems, or manuals, but especially the advertising inserts. Opening these old games and systems is like a time capsule, and the 32X was especially interesting.
I figured a few other people out there might be interested in seeing some of the same things, so here are a few shots of what came in the 32X box, which really emphasize how much of a mess Sega’s hardware strategy really was.
Let’s start off a little easy. First of all, we have a flyer for the Genesis six-button controller. This controller did a nice job of segmenting the Genesis market. There were those who had the three button controller and couldn’t make the most of the hottest games of the time: fighters. Mortal Kombat? Street Fighter II? Eternal Champions? Forget it, if you didn’t have a six-button controller. Sure, you could play them, but why would you want to? I give Sega the benefit of the doubt on this one, though. The three-button controller was well past its prime and six buttons were practically required. Besides, controller changes are almost always for the better. This one was a fantastic upgrade, just like the NES dogbone controllers, and the Xbox S and Saturn revisions that would follow.
Six Button Flyer
Sure, an upgraded controller segments the market, but it was probably a good business decision in general, since the older controllers were so lacking. But this next one is odd. Did Sega really need to get into the business of making power strips? Well, they were kind of forced to. After all, if you had a Genesis, Sega CD, AND a 32X, then you’d have three separate AC adaptors. The best part? Most standard power strips can’t fit three separate AC adaptors… So, Sega was there for its devoted fans:
Sega Power Strip
So, getting all your systems plugged in is a bit difficult, huh? Well, that’s nothing compared to this next picture. Just think about all the different possible hardware combinations those power supplies were feeding. In fact, there were even different cords required for attaching the 32X to different base combinations! This picture sums it up nicely, but actually underestimates the problem. Where’s the X’Eye? Where’s the LaserActive?? Oh, and remember that the number of combos doubles once you add in the 32X!
Too many Sega combinations
The best part of all this? Even Sega themselves couldn’t keep their different hardware combinations straight. As the next two pictures show, there was some definite confusion over the CDX. Was it supported or wasn’t it? It seems they thought it was, but at the last second, decided it wasn’t, so they slipped a warning card into the box and a sticker on its front to correct the out of date printed instructions. Oh, and how were people supposed to know that the 32X audio might not work properly for their model of Genesis if gamers only got to see this warning card after buying and opening the system?
32X Warning Card
Conflicting Information
Ahh, that was fun. I hope you get as much amusement out of all this as I did. It’s sad to see Sega out of the hardware business, but when I see stuff like this, it’s obvious they have nobody else to blame but themselves. Can you really hold it against consumers for being skeptical when Sega released the Saturn? As great as the system was (and really, the Sega CD and 32X aren’t awful platforms, either), I can understand why things turned out the way they did.
Oh, and as for my Genesis/CD/32X setup? Yeah, it’s a mess, too. To make matters worse, the system just ends up flat out freezing when I play anything on the 32X. Fun! Notice the extra A/V cord for the Model 1 Genesis, the otherwise useless piece of spacer plastic for the Model 2 Genesis, and the two totally different controllers. Plus the Sonic & Knuckles with lock-on Sonic 3! Maybe “disjointed hardware strategy” is an understatement…
Sega 32X'Eye
A new addition to the family (Sega 32X)
October 24, 2009 by Tim · 3 Comments
The latest addition to my console collection arrived today — a brand new, still in the box, complete, unopened Sega 32X. I was an SNES guy back in the 16-bit days, and it’s really only recently that I’ve come to love the Genesis, too. There’s really a lot of good stuff hidden beneath the mountains of old sports games!
But anyhow, my point here is that I’m exploring more of the Genesis era, so I recently purchased an X’Eye, and now I have the 32X. With all that in tow, I now have access to the entire Genesis/CD/32X library. Now I just need to get some 32X games, and more than one Sega CD game!
A Virtual Spanish Surprise
I recently bought a few Virtual Boy games off of eBay and they came in the mail yesterday. The interesting thing about this transaction is that I bought them from a seller in Mexico. The set came with Panic Bomber (loose), Wario Land (complete), and Teleroboxer (complete). Well, when they arrived, I discovered that not only were Wario Land and Teleroboxer complete, they were still sealed! But then, on closer inspection, I noticed they weren’t quite sealed. Both games were very purposefully slit open at the top. Collectors sometimes do this to keep everything in the most pristine possible condition, so I didn’t make much of it. Until I noticed that, strangely, the shrinkwrap wasn’t cut enough to actually open the flaps and get the games out. What was the point of that?
Well, once I opened them the rest of the way (yes, I’m a dirty sealed-games opener), it became obvious. Remember, the games came from a seller in Mexico. They’re identical in every way to the US release. In fact, they probably are the same as the US releases, except for one thing — someone went through and slid a printout of Spanish-language instructions into them! It’s pretty trivial, but as an enthusiast, I found it to be an interesting discovery. In fact, it made me realize I hadn’t even considered Mexico as much of a gaming market. I wonder if this is how they get most of their games? Hand-me-downs from the US, stuffed with Spanish instructions as almost an afterthought?
Anyway, for you collectors out there, I guess there are a few extra pieces of official documentation you have to pick up to have a complete set! Have a look:
Now using The Backloggery
September 2, 2009 by Tim · 2 Comments
Ahh, it’s been another long hiatus, but fear not — I am still playing old games (in fact, my collection has expanded significantly since my last post). On top of that, I’m making actual progress in a few games!
And that’s where this comes in handy… I discovered The Backloggery a few weeks ago, a site that is obviously after my own heart. I guess I’m not the only one out there with a massive backlog of games to play through. Apparently, there are enough of us to gear a whole social networking site around the concept!
So check out my profile, where I’ll slowly be listing my collection and my progress in each game. If you have an account (or create one after this), drop me a line and add me as a friend! In fact, if you were following me, you’d already know that I just beat A Boy and His Blob for NES a few minutes ago! (So hey, maybe that means a new review will actually be posted soon…)
The Catch-Up Post: SMS Badass Edition
May 24, 2008 by Tim · Leave a Comment
Well, it’s been a couple of months since I posted, and I mentioned that I’d be instating a moratorium on classic game purchases after the Midwest Gaming Classic. Did I stick to it? In fact, I did! I went the month of April without making any classic gaming purchases. My wallet thanks me! (Though I did have to pick up Mario Kart on the Wii because, I mean, c’mon… It’s Mario Kart. It’s not a classic game, anyway, so I win on a technicality.)
But since I only had a one-month moratorium and I haven’t posted in two months, that means I have about a month’s worth of catching up to do. Let’s start off with the Midwest Gaming Classic. For those that didn’t attend (probably most of you), I really highly recommend this show! I had a ton of fun. I got to see all kinds of cool games and had a chance to play around in the museum with some interesting systems I’d never experienced before (like the FM Towns Marty and Nuon). On top of that, there was a nice lineup of speakers. I had a chance to hear a bunch of cool talks from people like Walter Day of Twin Galaxies/The King of Kong fame, Sushi-X and Trickman Terry of EGM fame, and Ben Heckendorn of “can turn any system into a portable” fame. And, best of all was the vendor area, where I amassed the following:
- Dracula X: Rondo of Blood (PC Engine CD): Probably the crown jewel of the show for me. I picked up the best “traditional” Castlevania game ever, and at a pretty good price. I’d never played it before, but it totally lived up to the hype.
- Rotary Controller (Jaguar): A fantastic hand-made rotary controller for the Jaguar. It breathed all new life into Tempest 2000. I will never use the D-pad again!
- Sega Master System (Hardware) and games: I was always curious about the Master System, so I bit the bullet and finally picked one up. Hooray, new hardware! It’s always exciting to have a new library of games to explore. I started off with Alex Kidd in Miracle World and Alex Kidd: High-Tech World.
- Rad Racer II (NES): Man, I loved Rad Racer on the NES. I had vague memories of playing Rad Racer II once, but always wanted to pick it up and give it a real playthrough. Honestly, it’s kinda disappointing. It didn’t quite live up to the original, but oh well. At least it was cheap.
- The Need for Speed (3DO): There was a small showing of 3DO games at MGC, and this mint copy of The Need for Speed is my first true complete 3DO game. It even has the advertising inserts! I gotta say, those longboxes are total overkill. They’re oddly appealing, though.
- Instruction Manuals (NES): I’ve had a barebones copy of the original Mario Bros. (the arcade game, not SMB) for the NES since I was something like 10 and finally got a manual to go along with it. I also picked one up for R.C. Pro-Am, since I got a cart-only copy of that not too long ago.
Okay, so that covers it for MGC. I will definitely be returning next year. There was so much cool stuff that I wanted… But enough of that, I also made a few other purchases, the biggest of which was:
- Sega Master System Lot (hardware and games): After getting a Master System at MGC, I went home and hit up eBay to expand my collection. I found a nice deal on a big lot of stuff, which included another system, a couple extra controllers, a light gun, a bunch of games, and (most importantly) a pair of the SMS 3D glasses. Games in the lot were After Burner, Black Belt, Choplifter, Enduro Racer, Ghost House, Hang On/Safari Hunt, Maze Hunter 3-D, Sports Pad Football, and Zaxxon 3-D. My favorites of the bunch were probably Maze Hunter 3-D and Ghost House with honorable mentions for Enduro Racer and Zaxxon 3-D. The rest are pretty mediocre, quite frankly. I think the SMS is going to take some digging to get to the truly good stuff.
And, finally, I hit up old reliable, Pre-Played, for a few random additions to the collection:
- Missile Defense 3-D (SMS): This is a neat lightgun game that makes use of the 3D glasses. It’s a pretty cool effect, shooting at 3D missiles that are popping out of the screen at me. Not to mention I look like a badass with both the glasses and phazer in tow! (See the picture above).
- Blaster Master (NES): This game really deserves more praise but never really gained the public awareness to become a favored classic. It’s something of an underdog, which is probably part of why I like it so much! For those not aware, it’s a fantastic shooter where you split your time between side-scrolling and overhead sections. Commandeer a tank in the side-scrolling sections, or hop out at any time to head out on foot. Enter caves to switch to an overhead view. The game has a nice, quirky, light-hearted feel to it, too. I mean, the story involves chasing after your pet frog after it’s grown to humongous size after being exposed to radioactive waste…
- Golgo-13: Top Secret Episode (NES): This is a unique game that mixes all kinds of different play mechanics like side-scrolling action, horizontal shoot-em-up, FPS, and “sniper modes” and wraps them all up in a spy/espionage plot. Very interesting overall, but the controls in the side-scrolling sections suck. Not bad for 99 cents, though!
And, most recently, I grabbed a new NES 72-pin adapter off eBay to resolve the damn blinking problem that every NES ever has. I should have done this years ago, it works beautifully!
Whew, okay, that about does it for now. But as you can see, I’ve added a ton of games to my collection without actually writing any new reviews. I’ve become resigned to the fact that I’ll probably never review all of them at my current pace. So, don’t be surprised to see a slight format change soon that will allow me to get reviews up much faster and more frequently.
Latest Haul and Impressions: TurboGrafx-16 Edition
March 19, 2008 by Tim · Leave a Comment
Boy, I feel like I’ve been spending a lot of money on games lately. But between the 3DO Testing Station last month and this haul this month, that’s not far from the truth. In fact, it is the truth! And to think, I’ll be going to the Midwest Gaming Classic in a couple of weeks, too… Argh, good thing it’s tax refund season!
Anyway, the latest group of stuff contains Space Squash for the Virtual Boy, which I already reviewed, and four titles for the TurboGrafx-16: Air Zonk, Blazing Lazers, Keith Courage in Alpha Zones, and Parasol Stars. Between getting these four games just recently, Buster Bros. not long ago, and all the games I already had, I’m building a nice little Turbo collection. I love this system! Anyway, here are my thoughts so far:
- Space Squash (Virtual Boy): See the review. ($48 new, eBay)
- Air Zonk (TurboGrafx-16): A bright, colorful, cute-em-up in the spirit of Bonk, but in the future. This is a great little shooter that doesn’t take itself too seriously, so it’s hard not to have fun with it. The graphics are some of the best the Turbo has to offer, and the sound ain’t too shabby, either. (~$30, pcenginefx.com member)
- Blazing Lazers (TurboGrafx-16): Another shoot-em-up, but this one is a little more standard than Air Zonk. A little easy for the first half, but the difficulty ramps up later. It’s a vertical scroller and the graphics are solid but not stunning. The sound is good and even includes some (fairly muffled) voice samples. Just a good, solid game in general. (~$10, pcenginefx.com member).
- Keith Courage in Alpha Zones (TurboGrafx-16): This was a pack-in for the original TG16, but since I have a Turbo Duo, I never got to experience it. As far as pack-ins go… Well, NEC could have done better. It’s not a bad game, it’s just no Mario or Sonic, you know? Anyway, it gets trashed on a bit, but I’m having some fun with it. It’s better than I expected. I love the revolver-heads! (~$2.50, pcenginefx.com member)
- Parasol Stars (TurboGrafx-16): aka The Story of Bubble Bobble 3. If you like Bubble Bobble, you’ll like this game! And who doesn’t like Bubble Bobble? The play mechanics are different in that there’s no blowing bubbles — you use a magical parasol (yes, you read that right) to stun and throw enemies. It’s bright, extremely colorful, and ridiculously cheerful and appealing. (~$30, pcenginefx.com member)
The TG16 prices are estimates because I bought them as a lot. I assigned a price that totals what I paid, but divided according to their approximate individual value. All in all, I’d say this is one of my best hauls yet (and it better be, considering how much it all cost). I’m enjoying all of these games! Naturally, stay tuned for the full reviews of each (whenever those may come).
Oh, and one more thing. Given how much I’ve spent on games the last couple months, I’m putting a one month moratorium on new game purchases after MGC. Hey, maybe I’ll actually play all these!
Latest Haul and Impressions: Buster Bros. & Battletech
March 7, 2008 by Tim · Leave a Comment
Believe it or not, I’ve been pretty busy with retro gaming lately. I may not be posting much, but I’ve been playing a lot of my Turbo, lurking messageboards, and watching eBay like a hawk. My latest acquisitions are Battletech (Genesis) and Buster Bros. (TurboGrafx-CD). Battletech was a nice find, because someone at work posted to the internal classifieds that they were giving it away for free. Being the collector I am, I immediately put dibs on it! I was bummed to see that he took the poster that was included with the game and hung it up in his office, but hey, free is free. Buster Bros., on the other hand, was an eBay purchase. It’s a fun little game that turned out to be a pretty good deal — it’s in pristine condition. Anyway, here are my thoughts after playing them each a bit:
- Battletech (Genesis): It’s a top-down/isometric shooter reminiscent of the Strike series, but you pilot a mech in the Battletech universe. It’s a well-made game with nice graphics and controls, but wow! It is brutally hard! I still haven’t passed the first level! This one is going to take some serious playtime to dig into. (Free, from a coworker)
- Buster Bros. (TurboGrafx-CD): This is a fun little old-school arcade game. There are a bunch of bouncing spheres invading the Earth, wreaking havoc, and it’s your job to destroy them all. When you shoot a sphere, it splits into two smaller ones until, finally, the smallest ones can be destroyed. You get more points for shooting multiple spheres of the same size in a row, so you’re rewarded for filling the screen with tiny, hard to avoid, bouncing balls — it gets pretty hectic! The soundtrack makes use of the CD format, the graphics are simple but charming, and the gameplay is straightforward but challenging and addictive. ($5.17, eBay)
Anyway, I’m on a real TurboGrafx kick these days. I think I might flesh out my collection a bit… Of course, I should probably get around to writing some reviews before I do. But we’ll see about that! (My source for good screenshots is gone, so I’ve kinda been using that as an excuse not to write any lately ;))
Latest Haul: 3DO Testing Station and more!
February 11, 2008 by Tim · Leave a Comment
Alright, I admit it… I splurged. Last year, I started dabbling in homebrew for the 3DO, and while I did make some progress, I hit a wall pretty fast. I managed to get a couple simple demos written and created a nice development environment with the official SDK and a Mac emulator, but not much more.
The thing about the 3DO is that software has to be encrypted to run on it, and the problem is that the encryption tools are not part of the SDK — any software had to be sent off to The 3DO Company to be approved and encrypted before release. But now The 3DO Company doesn’t exist. D’oh. Without a way of actually running the demos I’d written on real hardware, there wasn’t much progress to be made. That is, unless I could get my hands on a 3DO Testing Station.
The 3DO Testing Station is a version of the hardware that was sent to developers for testing and is capable of running unencrypted software — there’s a small switch on the back to go back and forth between Encrypted and Unencrypted. So, if I wanted to write my own programs, I’d either have to crack the encryption (yeah, right) or get myself a Testing Station. I kept my eye on eBay for quite some time with an automatic search, and not much came up. Finally, last week, another one appeared (along with a handful of games) and I decided to pull the trigger. I paid a little more than I would have liked, but now I can stop searching and get started on some real projects. Hey, it’ll be a learning experience. It’s worth it, right?
On top of eBay, I also did a little shopping at another local game store I just discovered, Play N Trade Video Games. It turned out to be a pretty small store, and their classic selection was nothing compared to my favorite local store (see me gush about PrePlayed here) but it was still worth making the trip — I managed to snag a complete Virtua Cop 2 for the Saturn for a nice price. They also had Bubble Bobble for the Saturn, but it was $23.99, disc-only. I’ve been wanting that game for years, but not disc-only. I also got to overhear an amusing conversation between the clerk and a middle-aged man inquiring about the Atari Jaguar. The customer mentioned something about the Jaguar being “really rare” and about $100 on eBay. I almost felt like butting in to mention I had one, and that I got it brand new in the box for $25 several years ago, but decided that it’d be kinda… nerdy… for me to jump in with that tidbit.
And, finally, I also got issue #9 of Video Game Collector. This is a magazine I’ve considered subscribing to in the past, but never did. Luckily for me, the publisher was offering free issues over at the Digital Press forums several weeks ago, so I decided to take advantage of that. Can’t go wrong with free! Maybe I’ll pick up the back catalog…
In summary, here’s the rundown of everything I got in the last few days:
- 3DO Testing Station and games: This is the Testing Station hardware along with a nice, revised Panasonic control-pad. The controller is smaller, more comfortable, and has a much more responsive D-Pad. This one gives the Logitech controller a run for its money. Also in the package were disc-only copies of Alone in the Dark, Ballz, Battle Chess, Gex, Killing Time, Space Hulk, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Way of the Warrior, and Sampler #2 (with the much-needed memory manager). I already had Gex, Killing Time, and Space Hulk, and Sampler #2 is a demo, so that’s five new games to add to my “to review” list. $173 (+$25 shipping) on eBay.
- Virtua Cop 2: I really like the original, so I’ve been casually keeping an eye out for Virtua Cop 2. I wasn’t actively looking to get it, but when I saw it at Play N Trade for $4.99, I couldn’t say no! The case could use some cleanup, but it’s otherwise complete.
- Video Game Collector Issue #9: Ah, a whole magazine to indulge my video game nerdery! This issue even had a feature on one of my favorite topics — obscure consoles. The magazine could use some polish overall in terms of editing and layout, but it’s good fun for hobbyists. I’m considering getting the full back catalog + subscription bundle now. Free, via the Digital Press forums.
Latest Haul: F-Zero, The Lion King, and More
January 19, 2008 by Tim · Leave a Comment
What’s this? A post to The Retro Review Project? I know, I know, I’ve been lax lately (okay, really lax), but sometimes gaming just takes a back seat to life. But I’m starting to feel the pull of the old consoles again, so here I am. The last four months have been slow, but I’ve made a couple trips lately to my favorite store in the world (Pre-Played on the west side of Madison, WI… Used games for systems dating back to the Atari, plus used DVDs, CDs, and books. What more could a geek want?). Here’s everything I’ve picked up since my last update in September:
- The Lion King (Genesis): I saw this, along with Aladdin and Mickey’s Castle of Illusion. I was tempted to get all three, but decided buying all those Disney games at once might seem a little fruity! Instead, I just went with The Lion King. This is one of my girlfriend’s old favorites, so I figured we could geek out together and play it. For $2.99, I couldn’t pass it up. Unfortunately, Aladdin and Castle of Illusion were gone the last time I went back to the store. Oh well, I’ll keep an eye out for them in the future.
- Dogbone Controller (NES): I’ve been wanting to pick up one of these controllers for a while, but never saw any outside of eBay. Once I started playing my NES more, I realized how awful the sharp corners on the standard NES pad really are. The store had a mix of standard, Advantage, and Max controllers, plus this one dogbone. I quickly snatched it up for $4.99.
- Nintendo Power Mints (Swag): The one thing on this list that didn’t come from Pre-Played, this is a clever little stocking stuffer my girlfriend got me for Christmas. It’s a tin of mints in the shape of an NES controller with the Nintendo Power logo. Apparently, Urban Outfitters carries them. I may use it as a DS game case once I’m done with the mints.
- F-Zero (SNES): I had F-Zero X for the N64, F-Zero GX for the GameCube, and F-Zero: Maximum Velocity for the GBA, but never had the orignal SNES launch title. That’s now rectified, at a reasonable $6.99 (cart-only).
- The Wizard (DVD): I normally just check out the game section when I go to Pre-Played, but last time, I took a look at the DVDs, as well. When I saw this on the shelf, my eyes got really wide, and I just said “Oh, woah!” I couldn’t resist — especially since I’ve been thinking about reviewing some old game-related movies for this site. I bought it with little hesitation, for $7.99.
I also picked up Soul Calibur for the Dreamcast, but since the DC doesn’t fit my definition of a retro/classic game console (yet), I’m not going to include that in my official list. This was a replacement for a copy that I lent a friend back in college, which I never got back! I also bought Final Fantasy (NES) and an FC Twin, but those were Christmas presents for a friend, so they don’t quite count for this list, either. Anyway, stay tuned… I should have some impressions and reviews on the way.
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