What’s coming…
December 10, 2009 by Tim · Leave a Comment
Ah, it’s been a while since I posted a Sitegeist. Heck, it’s been a while since I posted at all, so let’s kill two birds with one stone here. Things are getting under control at work and I just wrapped up grad school exams, so maybe I’ll have more time to play games and post here? Here’s what’s in the pipeline:
- Part 2 of my Metal Gear impressions and review. My NES was out of commission for a while, but with a repaired 72-pin adapter, it’s good to go again. So, it’s time to finish this game!
- Rocket Knight Adventures review. It’s actually been a few months since I finished this game and a review has been sitting in the queue, ready to post as soon as I get some screenshots. It’s probably time for that.
- Top Gear 2 review. This is the one I tackled after RKA, so it needs a review, too.
- Castelian impressions. I’m going to play through Castelian while I work on Metal Gear, so those are coming, too. (In fact, I think I’ll post the first part now…)
So yeah, stay tuned!
(P.S.: I’m glad to see Nintendo finally caught up with Sega in the poll… Go Nintendo!)
Sega’s disjointed hardware strategy: A story in pictures
November 4, 2009 by Tim · 2 Comments
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!
RetroTube: Bound High video (Virtual Boy)
October 3, 2009 by Tim · 4 Comments
Now that I’m starting to do more with the site the last few weeks, I figured I’d start up some of the old features I used to post. So with that said, I have a new RetroTube for you. This isn’t exactly new or groundbreaking footage or anything like that, but I stumbled upon it for the first time a couple of days ago and thought it was really interesting — especially since I’ve been recently reacquainted with the Virtual Boy after repairing mine last week.
There are a couple of holy grails in the Virtual Boy “scene” (what little scene there may be). Right before the system was killed off, a second generation of games was nearing release that were supposed to take better advantage of the hardware and really make the system shine. The two most anticipated games were Dragon Hopper and Bound High. Both were nearly (if not totally) complete, but were never released. As such, Virtual Boy fans still crave the games to this day, but with only a few accounts of sightings at tradeshows and a handful of low-quality screenshots to whet their appetites. Well, it turns out that Bound High has actually made it into the hands of at least one member of the public, and he’s posted the only extended video footage of the game that I’ve ever seen:
And a second (shorter, lower quality) video with a sample of the game’s sounds:
Maybe Dragon Hopper will be next?
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…)
RetroTube: Video Power
May 27, 2008 by Tim · Leave a Comment
Alright, I haven’t posted a RetroTube in a while, and I’ve been sitting on this one for some time now. For the longest time, I had these vague memories of a game show where two kids face off in video game competition and the winner gets to run through a room full of games where they get to grab anything they want and stick it to their velcro suits and helmets. I wanted so badly to run around and pick up all those free NES games like those kids got to do.
But what was it called!? The years had worn away my memories of the show, but finally, with the help of a friend, I managed to remember its name: Video Power! Man, I loved that show… Of course, the venerable YouTube has a clip! I figured I’d share and maybe stir up a little nostalgia for the rest of you. Doesn’t this show look like fun? I feel a little bad for the kid that won the Neo-Geo, though. I bet nobody told him that he’d never be able to afford a single game for it!
(Note: Be sure to turn your volume all the way up if you want to hear it, this clip is really quiet.)
Enjoy this few minutes of hokey nostalgic game show fun. I have something even better in store for next time…
Review Philosophy: “Evolving” reviews
May 26, 2008 by Tim · 2 Comments
I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I’m going to do a slight format change that will hopefully encourage me to post more reviews. I’m not a big fan of writing in the traditional review style where you play a game to completion and write a retrospective/post-mortem to sum up your thoughts and make a recommendation. The main problem is that I don’t have much of an attention span with the games I play. I’m usually playing several at a time and I jump around a lot. Sometimes I’ll even start a game then let it sit for months before going back and playing it further.
So instead of forcing my play-style to change so that I can write more reviews, I’m going to tailor my review-style to my play-style. I’m going to start writing what I’m calling “Evolving” reviews. If I sit down and play through a quarter of a game, I’m going to post my impressions of that first quarter then slowly add to the review over time as I complete more of it. So I’ll post the first part of the review, then if I get back into the game a week, month, or even a year later, I’ll add more thoughts on the additional parts I’ve played.
So, over time, a post will ultimately culminate in a complete review but will allow the reader to follow along as I play the game further. This will even allow me to go back to games and reviews I’ve already completed and add additional thoughts on a second or third playthrough.
Hopefully, this will make the site a little more dynamic and fluid and keep it from going through long periods of stagnation. Stay tuned!
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!
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