Support NeoGAF

[IrishNinja]

It is. 32X was a total failure here, the addon itself usually costs over 90€, whereas it's really cheap on eBay America. The games with their European packaging are similarly expensive.

The European Mega-CD games are also rarer than their American counterparts. I can tell you that Flink and Batman & Robin are stupidly rare and expensive compared to the common US edition, to the point I'm considering buying these instead. Other stuff like Cobra and Snatcher are also rarer and more expensive than the copies from your continent. And everything got caught in the retrogaming bubble so prices of common but popular games are also rising.

damn, this is so weird to hear...like learning late era megadrive games in japan are stupid-expensive there. i guess the SMS & MD's popularity out there had me thinking this wouldn't be the case...well, at least it's some of the less desirable catalogs that spiked up, then?

Have you seen the arcade original? It's so much more cheery and cute. I wonder why they went all grimdark on the home conversion? Maybe it wasn't successful in the arcade.

The arcade version was originally pitched to Taito as a sister series of Darius with insects instead of fish, but Taito had them change the visual style halfway through development for whatever reason. The MD version doesn't actually use the original assets but it was designed to reflect their original proposal.

Wow, that's good to know. Just imagine if this took off like Darius did. Insector-X Gaiden, G-Insector X, Insector-XBURST

lol

haha learned something new today! kinda makes sense in that regard i guess, but yeah weird that darius went on forever & not this one

Arcade SF2 is programmed pretty funny too, with moves doing randomly variable damage, random auto-block, and variable special move input timing lenience.

it's funny, i used to suspect a few of those things but just assumed the cabinets i played were wonky or beat-up; god knows the one in the jamaican patty place i'd go to was hacked to shit (guile had a gun & handcuffs, blanka could shoot some weird electirc fireball, etc)

Play the pc version if you want to finish it. The latest version of that doesn't have all the problems the sega CD version has, as well as some added things. Also no long as fuck loading. Why play a point and click adventure without a mouse anyway?

i prolly should - but cmon, i couldn't afford a PC then, that's why i wanted Monkey Island so bad!

And everybody stays suspiciously silent about X-Men 2.

nah, i think X-Men 2 is fantastic & infinitely better than 1. yeah you randomly cold start with whatever character but the designs are way better, and each stage/boss fight let's you choose a character, it does that megaman thing where shit's way easier when you know what's coming (first sentinel boss with beast, escape the super metroid explosions right after that with nightcrawler, etc). i really do wanna get into that one soon, it looks awesome.

 

[RoryDropkick]

The arcade version was originally pitched to Taito as a sister series of Darius with insects instead of fish, but Taito had them change the visual style halfway through development for whatever reason. The MD version doesn't actually use the original assets but it was designed to reflect their original proposal.

The MD version also has a pretty snazzy arranged OST with lots of jazz fusion. I found it at a flea market in great shape for $5 back in 1994

 

[Khaz]

damn, this is so weird to hear...like learning late era megadrive games in japan are stupid-expensive there. i guess the SMS & MD's popularity out there had me thinking this wouldn't be the case...well, at least it's some of the less desirable catalogs that spiked up, then?

Europe got the Mega-CD late. So late we only had the second revision in most countries. Same goes with the 32X: it wasn't out we were already hyped for the Saturn and the Playstation.

 

[Khaz]

Ok I've just tried X-Men 2. It's very pretty. The first stage is already tough.

What are the conditions to make a somersault? When I run to jump to a platform, sometimes I make a straight, high jump, and sometimes I make I tiny weak somersault that plunges me to my death. I can't think of anything I'm doing differently.

[edit] It seems to happen mainly with Psylocke.

 

[Peagles]

Finally found a decently priced CIB Aladdin. Childhood game GET!

Spoiler

Well, when it comes in the post in the next couple of days.

 

[MrCunningham]

lol, I never played it. I only played the first one and didn't think much of it.

It's the best X-Men game on the Genesis... I know that is not saying much, but X-Men 2 is a really solid game from start to finish. The soundtrack is interesting too, each character has their own variation on the level music.

Someone made an improved sound patch for SF2CE for some reason
http://youtu.be/-iE5GJNkOqs

They took the laryngitis out of the characters voices, neat.

 

[Deleted member 22576]

I'm getting pretty damn good at Rocket Knight. Love that game. Been playing it everyday, have yet to beat it but I can get to the part I haven't completed yet basically without dying. It's usually just time constraints/me getting bored that lead to only playing for 20min at a time.

I can tell that CRT I got has seen better days though. It has these wavy lines where you can see the subpixel colors bleed out. I guess is how I would describe it.

 

[Sixfortyfive]

Breaking in a flash cart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__9MJmsTgLM

 

[Khaz]

Breaking in a flash cart:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__9MJmsTgLM

So cool! I'm going to watch it on my Megadrive ^^

Links to download in another video, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vPe452cegU
I wonder what it would take to make it as a repro cart, given it's 8MB.

I think that's the best part of the Everdrive, being able to see these tech demos on the hardware itself instead of some crappy youtube video. You can feel the Blast Processing.



Oh, one thing I found out about the Mega Everdrive: Although it has both a MicroSD and an SD slot, only one can be accessed at once. The SD slot takes precedence, which means if you have a MicroSD buried in your cartridge, you can still pop in an SD with stuff on it to test it. No file transfer though.

[edit] welp, it froze on real hardware. the first two minutes or so were cool, then I got a white screen when they played with the second apple. Damn. I played it a second time, all went well. Strange.

And I really need to do that Mega Sound mod or whatever it's called, on my MD2. It's like someone has stuffed the bass speaker with cloth, it's terrible.

 

[alf717]

So cool! I'm going to watch it on my Megadrive ^^

Links to download in another video, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vPe452cegU
I wonder what it would take to make it as a repro cart, given it's 8MB.

I think that's the best part of the Everdrive, being able to see these tech demos on the hardware itself instead of some crappy youtube video. You can feel the Blast Processing.



Oh, one thing I found out about the Mega Everdrive: Although it has both a MicroSD and an SD slot, only one can be accessed at once. The SD slot takes precedence, which means if you have a MicroSD buried in your cartridge, you can still pop in an SD with stuff on it to test it. No file transfer though.

[edit] welp, it froze on real hardware. the first two minutes or so were cool, then I got a white screen when they played with the second apple. Damn. I played it a second time, all went well. Strange.

And I really need to do that Mega Sound mod or whatever it's called, on my MD2. It's like someone has stuffed the bass speaker with cloth, it's terrible.

Been thinking of doing this myself. Helder over at assembler forums I believe makes custom Mega Amp boards where all you have to do is install them. Might buy one from this user some day.

 

[IrishNinja]

nice, sixfour!

Oh, one thing I found out about the Mega Everdrive: Although it has both a MicroSD and an SD slot, only one can be accessed at once. The SD slot takes precedence, which means if you have a MicroSD buried in your cartridge, you can still pop in an SD with stuff on it to test it. No file transfer though.

ah, was wondering about this - i ordered the case Peagles linked, but until it's here i'll prolly just use the micro one, might default to it anyway because once i sort out these prototypes & hacks & such i don't think i'll be tossing stuff onto it very often anyway

 

[Piston Hyundai]

Finally found a decently priced CIB Aladdin. Childhood game GET!

Spoiler

Well, when it comes in the post in the next couple of days.

How much did you get it for? Is it really that hard to get ahold of?

 

[Peagles]

How much did you get it for? Is it really that hard to get ahold of?

It was $20NZD shipped, picked it up locally. Last few local copies I saw were about $40 before shipping and the chepeast on eBay UK is £10 and another £10 international shipping (so over $40).

I have no idea if it's hard to get ahold of to be honest. I just look at prices then try to get it cheaper than what I've seen it going for.

 

[Khaz]

Aladdin MD is region-locked and PAL-optimised. In this case it means the music has the right tempo but the game still has borders and plays slower. Switching to 60Hz during gameplay corrects the borders and gameplay but the music becomes too fast.

I wanted a copy of this game but I'll have to get the American version instead.

 

[BTails]

I was able to pick a copy locally for $15 CAD, box and cart but no manual.

Absolute great game. And way better than the SNES version that my wife prefers (and we also own, haha).

 

[Peagles]

Aladdin MD is region-locked and PAL-optimised. In this case it means the music has the right tempo but the game still has borders and plays slower. Switching to 60Hz during gameplay corrects the borders and gameplay but the music becomes too fast.

I wanted a copy of this game but I'll have to get the American version instead.

Because I owned a PAL copy (obviously) as a kid, that's the one I wanted, but I'll likely just play in 60Hz on my Everdrive cos I hate taking carts in and out.

 

[Khaz]

Yes, it's just I checked literally five minutes before posting, I wanted to share my findings. I'm disappointed in this optimisation tbh, I didn't expect it. I want to have this game but now I can't settle for the inferior European version, my OCD will never accept it.

 

[Peagles]

Yes, it's just I checked literally five minutes before posting, I wanted to share my findings. I'm disappointed in this optimisation tbh, I didn't expect it. I want to have this game but now I can't settle for the inferior European version, my OCD will never accept it.

PAL gaming is just a lifetime of disappointments, hehe.

I'll have a mess around with mine too when I get it. Some games are different if I switch at different times. If I switch right in the middle of gameplay it's usually messed up, but I got a few to work properly by switching immediately after the checks and before the game got running properly. I can't remember which games though, I'll have to do some testing when I get home.

 

[Psyrgery ES]

Hey guys, mind if I join this AWESOME thread?

I've moved house recently and found my old megadrive lying around,(got it for my 5yo birthday, and I'm 29 ATM lol, time freaggin flies) cables long lost and gamepads almost broken down.

Anyway, got that fixed and now I've begun collecting games of my chilhood, got this beauty here for 25€ on ebay. First and second ones are easy to find at a reasonable price, but the third one holy molly, I found a german guy who was selling it for 250€!

Streets of Rage II

Also this one is on its way home straight from Japan, it was the first game that came with my genesis, it's not a great shoot'em up (haven't heard any reviews of it) but it means quite a lot to me, I played the hell out of it.

 

[sixteen-bit]

Arrow Flash had some really cool art

 

[BocoDragon]

Arrow Flash had some really cool art

I love 80s manga look so much <3

 

[BTails]

My RGB cables came in today! Of course the first one I had to test was the Sega Genesis...

Oh, it looks phenomenal. This is a terrible iPhone shot, but the picture is crystal clear, vibrant colours, and no jail bars.

And then, about 2 minutes after this picture was taken, the TV in my basement (where all my retro systems are hooked up) DIES. Backlight is totally gone. I unplugged it, plugged it back in, and it works for about 5 seconds then dies again.

Murphy's Law, right? I was looking forward to this ALL day at work, haha.

 

[Peagles]

It couldn't handle the power of RGB lol.

 

[sixteen-bit]

From RGB to R.I.P.

Tough break

 

[BTails]

It was an old Sony Bravia 40" 720p LCD, that we bought close to 9 years ago (For an incredible $1,800 dollars). My wife (Then girlfriend) and I were the first people we knew with a flat-screen.

It's had a long, lovely life. And will be replaced later tonight with a Samsung 40" 1080p LED TV in a couple hours (For $439 dollars. Times have changed). I've been waiting a month for my upscaler and RGB cables to be ready, I'm not going to quit because of a lousy TV failure.

I've got SEGA to play!

 

[Teknoman]

My RGB cables came in today! Of course the first one I had to test was the Sega Genesis...

Oh, it looks phenomenal. This is a terrible iPhone shot, but the picture is crystal clear, vibrant colours, and no jail bars.

And then, about 2 minutes after this picture was taken, the TV in my basement (where all my retro systems are hooked up) DIES. Backlight is totally gone. I unplugged it, plugged it back in, and it works for about 5 seconds then dies again.

Murphy's Law, right? I was looking forward to this ALL day at work, haha.

Damn, my condolences. Well at least you can take it to some old TV repair shop, hopefully all isnt lost.

I had some color problem with my TV the other day (Red and certain colors either werent showing, or were off color). Thought it was a loose plug, but after turning it off then on again, things were normal. Not sure what was up with that.

 

[BTails]

Damn, my condolences. Well at least you can take it to some old TV repair shop, hopefully all isnt lost.

I had some color problem with my TV the other day (Red and certain colors either werent showing, or were off color). Thought it was a loose plug, but after turning it off then on again, things were normal. Not sure what was up with that.

Meh, it would cost a couple hundred to fix, and for a couple hundred more, I can get a much better TV.

Back on topic, I just watched some videos of Arrow Flash, it looks like a decent time-waster SHMUP, though I laughed pretty hard at the liberal use of The Supremes "You Keep Me Hanging On" in the intro.

 

[Shadow Hog]

"Hmm, y'know, I remember borrowing High Seas Havoc from a friend back in the day. It's an obscure enough game, lemme just pull up eBay and see how cheap it i- JESUS $70 CIB $20 CART-ONLY ARE YOU KIDDING ME"

I wasn't aware that was one of the Genesis's eBay darlings ._.

 

[sixteen-bit]

4 real? yo damn lemme check Socket then...

 

[Khaz]

Arrow Flash seems a nice looking Gradius clone, it's a bit pricey though

 

[Shadow Hog]

Sold listings from only a month or two ago look more sane - $10-15 cart-only (less if the sticker's noticeably damaged), CIB $35 or so. So why are there so many listings on eBay that are clearly higher than that? Did some reviewer highlight the game recently?

 

[galvatron]

"Hmm, y'know, I remember borrowing High Seas Havoc from a friend back in the day. It's an obscure enough game, lemme just pull up eBay and see how cheap it i- JESUS $70 CIB $20 CART-ONLY ARE YOU KIDDING ME"

I wasn't aware that was one of the Genesis's eBay darlings ._.

Random...though, I did see some more favorable reviews for the game recently than I would have expected having played it.

 

[Khaz]

Back on topic, I just watched some videos of Arrow Flash, it looks like a decent time-waster SHMUP, though I laughed pretty hard at the liberal use of The Supremes "You Keep Me Hanging On" in the intro.

That's the song! I knew it reminded me of something, I just couldn't put a name on it.

 

[Timu]

My RGB cables came in today! Of course the first one I had to test was the Sega Genesis...

Oh, it looks phenomenal. This is a terrible iPhone shot, but the picture is crystal clear, vibrant colours, and no jail bars.

And then, about 2 minutes after this picture was taken, the TV in my basement (where all my retro systems are hooked up) DIES. Backlight is totally gone. I unplugged it, plugged it back in, and it works for about 5 seconds then dies again.

Murphy's Law, right? I was looking forward to this ALL day at work, haha.

Is your scart cable composite video or composite sync? Sorry to hear about your TV though, and this is why I don't game on TVs anymore, not even for my old consoles, I only use capture cards on my PC.

 

[theSlacker]

"Hmm, y'know, I remember borrowing High Seas Havoc from a friend back in the day. It's an obscure enough game, lemme just pull up eBay and see how cheap it i- JESUS $70 CIB $20 CART-ONLY ARE YOU KIDDING ME"

I wasn't aware that was one of the Genesis's eBay darlings ._.

One of the CIB listings from a few months ago that was listed at $90 and sold to best offer for $40. Pointed out how insane the price was compared to other CIB versions that sold and he went for it.

Still listed as selling for $90 on the price guide though and since only like 1 or 2 sell a month it didn't really help the perception of the price.

 

[IrishNinja]

another fine example of why pircecharting shouldn't be treated like wizard was in the 90's

....honestly, wizard shouldn'tve been treated that way either

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Contra showed up.. though there is not the usual number of metal contacts on the front of the cartridge slot.

[update with pics]
So what do you guys think? All the other cartridges I have say something beneath the sega logo, like made in japan. The konami titles I have say konami there instead. Also the chip inside seems to be lighter in color than the other games and obviously the number of contacts is different. The auction did not state repro anywhere.

'
It just seems off compared to the other cartridges I've received thusfar.. and it was by far the most expensive.

 

[Mzo]

Showed up today and it looks great.

Now I'm like 2 Bleach games away from every Treasure release...

 

[BTails]

Is your scart cable composite video or composite sync? Sorry to hear about your TV though, and this is why I don't game on TVs anymore, not even for my old consoles, I only use capture cards on my PC.

It's the Genesis 2 cable (Running through my 32X) from retro_console_accessories: it's listed as Raw Sync by her, not sure whether that means composite video or composite sync.

Also... IT LIVES!

I still have to mess around with the settings on the TV, but the image looks phenomenal! And using 720p on a 1080p set (Instead of 768) means the scan lines look even better.

 

[Peagles]

^ Reminds me a bit of the set up behind the trophy table in Melee, very nice!

 

[dodgeme]

Contra showed up.. though there is not the usual number of metal contacts on the front of the cartridge slot.

[update with pics]
So what do you guys think? All the other cartridges I have say something beneath the sega logo, like made in japan. The konami titles I have say konami there instead. Also the chip inside seems to be lighter in color than the other games and obviously the number of contacts is different. The auction did not state repro anywhere.
'
It just seems off compared to the other cartridges I've received thusfar.. and it was by far the most expensive.

If I am not mistaken the Konami games got reprinted later on by Majesco in the late 90's and this would be one of those copies. Mine is actually the same. If you look on top you notice the end label probably doesnt have any writing on it either where as earlier copies did. It's also supposed to have a sticker on the back under the Sega logo saying Assembled in Mexico. Someone must of took it off at one time.

Heres a thread on Castlevania and such.
http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?12404-Castlevania-Bloodlines-(manufactured-where-)

 

[Uncle Rupee]

Contra showed up.. though there is not the usual number of metal contacts on the front of the cartridge slot.

It just seems off compared to the other cartridges I've received thusfar.. and it was by far the most expensive.

My Contra isn't like that, but my copy of Castlevania Bloodlines has the same number of contacts (which is a Majesco reprint). I also thought it was weird but I looked it up and other copies of Castlevania are like that, too. It's possible Majesco did the same thing for Contra Hard Corps... Though Wikipedia doesn't say anything about it.

Is the label glossy or matte? Konami's original print run of Castlevania has a glossy sticker while the Majesco one is noticeably dull. Also the reprint uses a different type of screws to hold the cart together. Check those details and let me know.

Also as mentioned in the thread linked above, apparently the reprints are much more common.

 

[Mzo]

Yeah, check what it says on the front label. From the little I could see, the text read differently. Should say Majesco on it somewhere.

This is what mine looks like.

I know I have an extra Majesco Bloodlines around here somewhere I could check...

 

[Deleted member 22576]

Interesting! Thanks guys! Yeah, dodgememe.. the sticker at the top of the cartridge was the first thing I noticed.

Game works great. Just played it. Its kinda funny.. I've played this game through emulation before and that experience just does not compare to playing it for real. Its like an entirely different game.

Is the label glossy or matte? Konami's original print run of Castlevania has a glossy sticker while the Majesco one is noticeably dull. Also the reprint uses a different type of screws to hold the cart together. Check those details and let me know.

Definitely the dull label it was something that tipped me off at first.. and the screws are very different.

 

[IrishNinja]

[update with pics]

yeah these guys covered it; my contra HC is a majesco reprint & looks just like that! amazing game

Showed up today and it looks great.

Now I'm like 2 Bleach games away from every Treasure release...

ugh STOP SHOWIN OFF GUY

Spoiler

you need a japanese 3DS too, ohohoho....congrats tho m'man

 

[Uncle Rupee]

Interesting! Thanks guys! Yeah, dodgememe.. the sticker at the top of the cartridge was the first thing I noticed.

Game works great. Just played it. Its kinda funny.. I've played this game through emulation before and that experience just does not compare to playing it for real. Its like an entirely different game.

Definitely the dull label it was something that tipped me off at first.. and the screws are very different.

At first I was a little miffed that I had a Majesco version of Castlevania, but the truth is they are kinda the heroes now. If it wasn't for them these games would likely be much more rare and expensive because Konami's original print run was so small... stupid Konami...

 

[IrishNinja]

damn, hadn't think of that - good point man! now i wish more rare games'd had reprints like that...

 

[Deleted member 22576]

At first I was a little miffed that I had a Majesco version of Castlevania, but the truth is they are kinda the heroes now. If it wasn't for them these games would likely be much more rare and expensive because Konami's original print run was so small... stupid Konami...

Theres definitely something a little hilarious about Majesco reprinting Konamis game in what I assume was some cheap factory in Mexico. That Majesco hustle is always and forever.

 

[BTails]

Ultra High Resolution? Chief's rocking a 4K television in his office. I guess by 2046, they have hologram technology too.

 

[IrishNinja]

fuck, i should hope they sort that out by then

you saw that miles davis one in the part @ vanlila sky, i envision a 35th year Genesis anniversary with a Yuzo hologram playing "live" SOR2 for me so they better get on that shit