Tuesday 10 September 2013

Genesis Gems: Vectorman


Released:
Oct 24, 1995 in North America
Nov 30, 1995 in Europe
2007 on the Virtual Console

Publisher/Development:
Development: Blue Sky
Publisher: Sega

About The Game: 
Vectorman is a run and gun platformer similar to the likes of Megaman and Pulseman. The game is 2D, but has pre-rendered 3D models in its level and character designs which gives it a smooth feel. Vectorman is a "Orbot" with a body made entirely of orbs. He's powered with a ball gun on his hand, and various power-ups can be acquired through out the game to enhance his gun. Which include a machine, triple fire and bolo guns. Vectorman can also transform into many different things as well, through the use of the various power-ups. The transformations are used at times during the 16 levels of action this game has. Without the use of cheat codes the average gamer won't see past the fourth level as the game is difficult and extremely challenging, which gives it high replay value. If you look at the front cover, Sega held a special "Play To Win" promotion upon the release of Vectorman. Players had the chance to win $25,000, as well as secondary $10,000 prizes and Sega Saturn consoles. Once completing the game without cheat codes select Vectorman carts would display a flashing "You Win" message with a phone number to register as a winner. The game was also a critical and commercial success, and was awarded Best Genesis Game of 1995 by Electronic Game Monthly.




Conclusion:
The majority of people who own or have played a Sega Genesis already know about this great game. Vectorman is a cult favourite among Genesis and retro game collectors, but gets over looked at times because of only having one sequel. This game is fun, addicting and very difficult which makes it a must have in anyones Genesis collection and can be found everywhere for great prices. A loose cart will run you around 5 to 10 dollars, and CIB between 15 to 30 bucks. If you don't own a Genesis the game is available on various Sega compilations on the Playstation and XBox.

Wednesday 4 September 2013

New Edition To The Family

Yesterday I picked up a Dreamcast lot. I got the console, two controllers, two memory cards and a arcade stick. I got a very good deal on all this and couldn't pass it up :) I'm really glad to have this back in my collection !

 

Monday 2 September 2013

Mega Man 7 SNES

This is the next game from my collection that I will be showcasing and one of my favourite SNES titles. Just like all the other Mega Man games, this is rare and expensive. RarityGuide.com has it listed at 73% rarity and on eBay it goes for $155-210 in good condition(Loose) MM7 is the 7th game in the original MM series and the first & only title in the main series to be featured on the 16-bit console. According to its creators, MM7 was only in development for a short time before its release. Keiji Inafune, a noted character designer and illustrator for the franchise, handed off his duties to Hayato Kaji for this instalment. Although many considered it a competent game by itself, a majority of reviewers either called it a simple rehash of previous entries in the MM saga, or considered it inferior to the inventive spin-off MM X, released on the SNES over a year earlier. Despite the steep price for this game, if u are a MM fan, this should be in your collection ! You won't be disappointed ! 

Thursday 22 August 2013

Genesis Gems: Ristar


Released: 
Feb 16, 1995 in North America
Feb 17, 1995 in Japan
Feb 18, 1995 in Europe
Dec, 2006 on the Virtual Console

Publisher/Development: 
Developer: Sonic Team
Publisher: Sega

About The Game: I'm sure most of you by now know I love platformers, and the Sega Genesis has tons of them. Ristar was one I over looked when it was released due to the fact the Saturn was on its way to North America, and the console was already on sale in Japan. I actually didn't play this game until my first Saturn bit the dust 4 months after purchasing it, and I went back to the Genesis until I could afford another Saturn. I rented it from Blockbuster one weekend, returned it and took some of the money I was saving for another Saturn and immediately purchased this game. I found it instantly addicting with the fun gameplay, catchy music and colourful graphics. Ristar is a side scrolling platformer similar to all games of the same genre. Focusing less on jumping and speed abilities like other games. The Developers went with stretchable arms that reach out in 8 different directions. His arms are used to attack enemies by simply extending them, grabbing the victim, and pulling them towards him in a head butt type motion to dispose of the object. Another way his long arms are used is to throw and reach higher things, open various treasure chests through out the game, and to get to the elevated platforms. Once you master these controls the game gets extremely fun and the hours of gameplay fly by. Ristar has 6 planets with each one containing 2 levels with your typical boss battle at the end of the stage. After you have completed this the game ends with a final boss fight for all the marbles. One cool thing about Ristar I never knew as a kid was after the final credits, the game gave you four passwords you could enter when you played the game again.





Conclusion: Overall Ristar is worth picking up and has very high replay value. Although I kind of wish he had better jumping ability but thats just me. If you're a Sega Genesis collector this game should be in your collection. A loose cart will run you around 15-20 bucks, and CIB 20-40 dollars. Playstation and Xbox Genesis compilations have nice versions worth checking as well, and they both have game saving features which the cart doesn't.

Monday 19 August 2013

The Jetsons Cogswells Caper NES

This is the next game that I'm gonna showcase from my collection. I had never heard of it or played it, until I bought it. It came out in 1992 in NA after the SNES was already out and that is what makes it rare. It didn't sell very well and is now hard to find and expensive. RarityGuide.com has it listed at 73% rarity . It's a great 2D action platformer by Taito. If u grew up watching The Jetsons , like myself, you will enjoy this game. I read a lot of negative reviews about this game but I love it. There are currently only 4 copies on eBay at the moment and they are going for $110-135 loose and no CIB copies at all. I really lucked out when I got this for $60 and is one of my favourite games in my collection. 

Friday 16 August 2013

3 Fun Games For The Sega Genesis

I figured for my first post I would recommend 3 fun games for the Sega Genesis. As most of you know by now I have an unhealthy obsession with the Genesis. I've owned the console since launch in 1989, and have accumulated hundreds of games over the years.  With this list I broke it down to 3 different catergories.  Common, uncommon and rare.  Some people may not agree with my choices, but I find they all have high replay value and are a ton of fun.

Boogerman: A Pick & Flick Adventure.
Released: Dec 1994 on both the Genesis and Japanese Mega Drive

Development/Publishers: Interplay (Best known for the Clayfighters series and for publishing the Lost Vikings)

About The Game: If you are not familiar with this game or Boogerman at all you're probably wondering what the hell is this. It's everything the box art shows. It's gross, disgusting, raunchy and even over the top at times, but it's a fun game. Boogerman is a side scrolling platformer with ammunition such as farts, burps and boogers with over 20 levels of action. Including a final boss battle and a puzzle to complete which is necessary to defeat enemies on each level. In my opinion each of these elements give this game high replay value. It's not for someone who gets easily grossed out, but if you like cartoon graphics, platformers, and just goofy games in general, check this one out.



Conclusion: I've actually owned this game since 1994 and have played it regularly since acquiring it. It's probably one of my all-time favourites on the Sega Genesis. The game is not rare by any means. I see it often in pawn shops, thrift stores and tons are on Ebay. A loose cart will run you about 5-10 dollars. CIB will be around 15-20 bucks.



Earnest Evans:

Released: Dec 20 1991 in Japan on the Mega-CD with a CD soundtrack including music & cut scenes. Then on Dec 31 1991 on the Sega Genesis.

Development/Publishers: In Japan it was Wolf Team and in North America it was Renovation.

First of a trilogy which includes El Viento and Anetto Futatabi.  I've personally never played either.

About The Game: Earnest Evans is a side scrolling 2D platformer with identical gameplay and design as the Castlevania series (Except the Indiana Jones thing) Evans main weapon of attack is a whip with other various weapons hidden through out the game. These other weapons include exploding rocks, a hammer like weapon and a morning star. This game takes you to various locations such as tombs in Peru & Mexico, the grand canyon, some forests, all while trying to save the world.


Conclusion: I know it's a Castlevania rip off, but it's honestly a great time. Plus I don't know many people who don't enjoy the Castelvania series minus the whole "What a horrible night for a curse" thing. Give this one a try, it's hella fun:) Earnest Evans is not rare but it's fairly uncommon here in North America. I've never seen it at a thrift store, pawn shop or my local retro video game store in the over 15 plus years collecting for the Genesis. It's very cheap too, under 5 dollars on Ebay for a loose cart. CIB is another story. Very rarely do I see a nice copy, but it will only run you around 10 to
15 bucks.



Pulseman:

Released: July 22 1994 on the Japanese Mega Drive and in North America as a Sega Channel Exclusive.

Re Released in 2009 on the Wii virtual console (This version is bullshit)

Development/Publishers: The developer was Game Freak, best know for the Pokemon games and the very colourful graphics they always have.

About The Game: Pulseman is your typical platformer. Avoiding enemies, making your way through various stages, collecting items, and the usual boss battles at the end of each level. But what makes this game stand out is the gameplay and the colourful over the top graphics this game has to offer. The element of electricity is what makes Pulseman so much fun. He stores energy and releases an electrical discharge in a ball-shaped form similar to Vectorman. Your energy can be restored by running
or darting forward. You only have 3 hits before dying. Plus the game is littered with enemies and obstacles everywhere, and good luck finding extra health and lives as they are hard to find. Pulsemans signature move is called the "Volteccer". Like a lighting bolt the Volteccer is used to reach hidden objects, higher platforms. But be careful when using this, as when hitting a wall at high speed causes a pinball effect and is an easy way to lose a life.



Conclusion: If you follow me on twitter, you know I play this game frequently. Pulseman in my opinion is the Little Samson for Genesis collectors. It's extremely rare and was never released in cartridge form in North America or Europe. Also I'm a little biased toward this game, because it's my favourite Genesis game of all-time. That's why I go so hard about it. Being it was only in Japan on the Mega Drive and later in the life span of the console, it wasn't released in mass quantities. A loose Mega Drive cart will run you around 100-150+ dollars, and CIB for about 300-350+. You can find from time to time on Ebay ROM carts for the Genesis at around 100-150 bucks. 








Wednesday 14 August 2013

BurgerTime NES 1987

Last year I reviewed this game, which is unknown to the common gamer and I have decided to re review it because I feel that that it deserved a proper review. This game holds a special place in my heart because its my very first video game memory. BurgerTime was my favourite game at my local arcade and at home we played it as a Family on Coleco, Intellivison & NES. BurgerTime was released on arcade in 1982 by Data East and because of its popularity, was ported to many home computers & consoles, which included the Apple II, Atari 2600, Coleco, Commodore 64, DOS, Intellivison & NES to name a few. The only people that I talk to that know this game are the most hardcore/old school retro gamers. Like a lot of old video games, BurgerTime is hard as hell ! Which I think drives a lot of people away from this classic title :( If u are the type of retro gamer that likes a good challenge, this game is for you. I know some people who have been playing this since the early 80's and can't make it past the second or third level. The game has 6 levels and when you complete the final level, the game loops back to the first level and raises the degree of difficulty. Now watch ol Peter Pepper run for his life :) With enemies with names like MR.Egg, Hot Dog & Pickle how can u go wrong ? Anyone who wants to own a part of gaming history, go pick this up ! It is a really cheap game on NES and worth every penny. Peter Pepper makes an appearance in the movie Wreak-It Ralph, as he's is having a drink at Tappers. The BurgerTime characters can be seen in a few other parts of the movie, keep an eye out. I really hope that this review makes you want to go pick up a copy or if you already own it, give it another shot. Just remember, hard is good :) 


Tuesday 13 August 2013

Castlevania Dracula X

The next game that I'm gonna showcase from my collection is Dracula X. There is a lot of negative hype about this game and for good reason. Compared to SC4 it stinks. If u are a Castlevania freak like me, you'll want this in your collection. RarityGuide.com has it listed as the 7th rarest SNES game. This version was only released in NA and only for a short period. Because it was the last Castlevania on SNES and all the bad press, it didn't sell very well. I have even heard that there were limited numbers of this game released here and that is wasn't gonna get released ? However, the fans of the series and Super Nintendo collectors keep this game hard to find. Currently it's going on eBay for $175-230 Loose. If u are a fan or serious SNES collector, I would suggest adding this to your collection.



New Sega Blogger

I'm proud to announce that my fellow CountryMan @ SegaDave will be handling everything Sega on the blog. Watch for his posts and give him a follow. 

Monday 12 August 2013

Secret Of Mana

The first game that I'm gonna showcase is SOM. A few weeks ago I found a private seller that had it for a good price. He wanted $90 which is very good compared to eBay. I offered him $60 and he took it :) He was the original owner and has never opened the map/poster. The box isn't in the greatest shape but....

My NES SNES N64 & GameCube additions

Since I was posting last, My game collection has really grown :) Here are some pics and I will be showcasing single games soon :)

Famicom & Super Famincom

I'm proud to announce that my fellow Canadian @ retrogamergirls Will be handling all the Famicom/SuperFamicom On the blog :) Look out for her posts ! She knows her stuff !

Sunday 11 August 2013

New Consoles

Since I took a break from blogging, I have got a few new consoles. They are both consoles that I have never owned, So they are that much sweeter.

Saturday 10 August 2013

Mega Man NES Collection

I have only been collecting since last year and one of my biggest missions was to complete my MM NES collection. I'm happy to say, I have finally completed it. It has taken me almost the full year but worth it now that it's complete. The games that gave me the most problems were 1 & 6. I spent a little more than I want too but I got them :) 

New content coming very soon

I have taken a break for way too long and will be getting back to blogging. The upside to my break, My collection has grown two fold. Keep an eye out ! Much coming ! 

Friday 22 March 2013

Gradius high score video

I just got a Dazzle and will be recording gameplay videos. Check out my first vid !