Saturday, November 28, 2009

PlaySEGA Joypad REVIEWED!

Today is my Birthday, and what a perfect day for my PlaySEGA joypad to arrive!

The PlaySEGA joypad was, and still is, a membership perk for those who join SEGA's online gaming community. The pad garnered a lot of entusiasm from fans a few months back as it is an exact copy of the famous Saturn pad, complete with triggers and even CD control icons for stop, play, repeat and previous and next track. Unfortunately, the pad itself was delayed a month and a half. Despite this hiccup, the pad is finally here! Let's unbox it, shall we?

An unassuming white box.

An unassuming white bag.

An awesome pad!

There she is! A real beauty, eh? I can confirm right now that the pad is every bit as solid as the Saturn pad. They even used rubber on the start button! The only major difference from the Saturn pad is in the triggers. While the Saturn pad had a light computer mouse "click" to them, the PlaySEGA pad triggers are a little firmer. Still, this is not a negative as they function just as well and if anything they won't suffer from accidental clicks.

They even used the same font and Saturn CD controls!

While intended for use with PlaySEGA.com, most gamers will be using this pad with emulator programs. I've just begun to test it out with Genesis Plus 1.3.0 on my iMac and it works great!

Essentially the exact same pad, and that's a good thing!

Overall, I really can't say much more than that the PlaySEGA pad is awesome. It's basically a Saturn pad with USB output. The different color scheme and quality PlaySEGA logo make it unique enough to be a must have for any SEGA hardware collector. C'mon! How often does SEGA make gaming equipment these days? Order yours today with a PlaySEGA membership!


PlaySEGA's pad receives:

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Saturn Anniversary Pickle Experience

THE NOMAD ON-THE-GO

It's been a while since I've done a Nomad On-The-Go article, mostly because I didn't have anywhere to go. This past Sunday I fulfilled one of my girlfriend's dreams by taking her across state lines to New York for the International Pickle Fest. Sunday was not only a special day for pickles, but also for Sega; it was the Sega Saturn's 15th Anniversary!

While I understand that the Saturn is not a mobile system, I just can't help myself in celebrating Sega anniversaries here at the Nomad 'Yard. In order to infuse Sega into a non-Sega day, I brought along my Sega Nomad as well as my iPod Touch for some mobile Sega gaming. I also promised myself that I would find at least ONE Sega related thing on our trip, photograph it and then write an On-The-Go article around it. I can happily tell you that I have done just that! In fact, I've done just that times three!

The trip began with myself at the wheel, so no mobile gaming was possible. Sonic 2 (which celebrated its 17th anniversary yesterday) had to wait until the ride home. Halfway to our destination I stopped at a Wal-Mart for some pickle cash and spotted this:


I'll admit, I don't believe I've ever seen a Sega UFO Catcher in person. It was really quite an experience. Unfortunately time was short, and there were no Eggman plushies to be won inside, so I snapped this photo and left. I have to say, though, that the UFO Catchers are quite eye... catching. Much more sleek than the crappy prize grabbers one finds in most arcades.

Upon arriving at our destination, my girlfriend's aunt's home, we settled in and got ourselfs drinks. I went to the cupboard to get a glass and look who should appear:


A GameWorks glass! I asked where they got it, and my gf's aunt told me that they picked it up at a GameWorks in Michigan. She described this awesome game they used to play involving seats that would raise and fall based on how well you shot at targets. Ah, GameWorks, I miss you.

The next day we piled in a van and headed to Pickle Fest. A bunch of non-Sega related things happened and then I saw him:


To the untrained eye, this is a kid in a pickle suit. But to the eye that has brains, this is a Saturn star of old! Don't know who it is?


It's Deku of Fighters Megamix fame! Originally a cactus, Deku has since picked up odd-jobs playing green cylindrical objects. With a few dimples drawn on, Deku really does make a great pickle. Despite not appearing in a game for years, Deku seemed quite jovial and enjoyed this freelance gig.

Our trip continued and remained Sega-free for the most part. I played a bit of Sonic 2 on the ride home and then gave my Saturn a loving tap before heading to bed. Overall, it wasn't the biggest day I couldv'e given the Saturn, but it wasn't all bad. I met a Saturn celebrity and wrote an article about it.

I also took this photo for Father Krishna:

Spot the fried object of FK's desire

Friday, November 20, 2009

Twice the Monkeys, Double the Balls

Sega has recently announced that they will be releasing Super Monkey Ball 2 for the iPhone and iPod Touch just in time for the holidays. The first iPhone release was a hugely successful Apple App Store launch title, and the sequel looks to improve on many things that the first game lacked. For starters, thos who gave the game a roll have stated that turning is MUCH easier. Sega also promises mini-games, such as bowling. By 2010, free updates will bring golf and target mini-games. Outside of the mini-games, the sequel will offer 115 levels and local wi-fi multiplayer. While a price has not been announced yet, my guess is $9.99 just as the original was.

Check out this video from TouchArcade:


[source: TouchArcade]


In non-mobile news, I had recently posted a drawing of Sonic, that I had done on the back of a notepad, to the SonicStadium message boards. One member, Tizo Teh Hedgie, was kind enough to do a quick coloring of the drawing. Check it out:

Old skool 4 life

Monday, November 16, 2009

Classics and Kiwis Go Mobile

While I try not to write about DS or PSP releases, as I don't have either portable, I thought this was quite an interesting find. Discovered by TSSZ, the British Board of Film Classification has recently rated a Sega game titled "Sonic Classic Collection". The collection looks to be a Sonic Jam-like compilation featuring Sonic 1-3 & Knuckles plus a bit of bonus materials. While some Sega fans are squabbling as to what platform it will be released on, a quick rundown of the game's content gives a massive hint. Take a look at the listing here or read below:
n/a SONIC CLASSIC COLLECTION
n/a SONIC THE HEDGEHOG (GAME)
n/a SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 (GAME)
n/a SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (GAME)
n/a SONIC & KNUCKLES (GAME)
n/a KNUCKLES IN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 2 (GAME)
n/a KNUCKLES IN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 (GAME)
00:00:45:00 SONIC CHRONICLES - THE DARK BROTHERHOOD (VIDEO)
00:03:05:00 THE HISTORY OF SONIC (VIDEO)
n/a SONIC ART (IMAGE GALLERY)
00:05:15:00 SONIC CLASSIC COLLECTION CREDITS
n/a GAMEPLAY FOOTAGE

Obviously a next gen system isn't going to have a video preview of Sonic Chronicles, a Nintendo DS game, so it's pretty clear that Sonic's Genesis games are heading to the DS. While Sonic 1-3 & Knuckles may not be a beefy compilation, especially when compared to the PSP's Sega Genesis Collection, it still is a solid collection of games chronicling the early half of Sonic's adventures. If perfect emulation is achieved then this is definitly a Sonic compilation to look out for.

In other portable news, Prope has released their first Sega-free game! Unfortunately, what looks to be one of Prope's better mobile offerings has no Sega affiliation so it really has no place at a mobile Sega gaming blog. However, I have a soft spot for kiwi birds so I'll cut them some slack.



Ivy the Kiwi, developed for the Windows Phone platform, takes advantage of the pen stylus to create a Lemmings sort of game featuring a wayward kiwi bird that runs across leafy vines drawn by the player. While the game looks pretty sweet, it's unfortunate that Sega did not get behind it for a iPhone and/or DS release. From what I've read, Windows Phone does not require a publisher for games distribution, so it isn't so much that Sega turned down distribution of the game than it is that Sega was not required for the game's release on Windows Phone.

Despite the lack of Sega name, the game looks pretty sweet and I hope to play it someday. Have you played Ivy the Kiwi? Let me know in the comments section!

Monday, November 9, 2009

Game Gear Commercials - IN COLOR!

At the Nomad Junkyard, the Nomad reigns supreme. However, in the world of mobile Sega gaming the Game Gear is the true number one. The Game Gear trumps the Nomad in almost every field (save for graphics and sound), with a number of awesome print ads and television adverts. Let's take a look at some of the most memorable Game Gear ads that ran in the US.

"Creamed Spinach Color" says it all. The number one reason I never owned a Game Boy. Sure the Virtual Boy gets a lot of flack for the eye trauma enducing red graphics, but for me the green Game Boy screen was worse. Thankfully the Game Gear came along to save us:



The fat guy from My Name Is Earl stars in this classic. Why beat yourself with a dead squirrel when you can just buy a Game Gear?



In today's world of flight restrictions, the following situation would be impossible. Again, the Game Gear saves the day. However, this would make an excellent Nomad commercial as the man truly wants to play Genesis games on the go. Guess it wasn't 1995 yet.



To conclude, I present a .gif gift from me to all of you. May it haunt your dreams.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Sega Fan Sites Graphed

click to enlarge

In my morning routine of checking up on the Sega fan sites I frequent, the idea came to me to graph my "canon" of Sega fan sites. As you can see, it is all laid out above. I avoided sites that cover more than Sega, such as Racketboy, and defunct sites, such as Dave's Sega Saturn Page. Interesting to note that a SG-1000 blog does not exist (to my knowledge) and that there has yet to be a 32X Junkyard. I've been considering adopting the 32X into the Nomad Junkyard, making the NJY not only a portable Sega gaming blog, but also a home to battered Sega systems. With that in mind, I should also consider adopting the Pico.