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:

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

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

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!

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.

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.

Gen Mobile Sports Genesis Logo

...thus making it the better of the two Genesis clones on the market.

Okay, so there is more to it than that. While the Gen Mobile has a smaller screen that the RetroGen, the Gen Mobile has 20 built in games which saves you from carrying about tons of cartridges. Unfortunatly both have the same sound issues. Check out this new preview video:

Kids Love Their Didj!

Well, I'm only assuming they love it, they could possibly hate it. While shopping for a new coffee maker yesterday, I ran across LeapFrog's Didj handheld. Didj, pronounced "dij" as in the first half of "digital", is touted as a Custon Gaming System for children 5-10 years old. As it is developed by LeapFrog, it is also a covert teaching tool. Thankfully, unlike the Pico the Didj games actually look like fun.

The Didj game that attracted my attention was Sonic the Hedgehog. As recent years have taught us, naming a game Sonic the Hedgehog does not necessarily mean that it will be a straight port of 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog. As Didj is a learning tool, I was skeptical of this being a port so I checked out the box and played a demo.


The box itself is rather cool. New school Sonic holding a ring (what is this, Chaotix?) with a drawing of Green Hill in the background. Nothing eye popping, but at least some effort was put in to make it look more than a piece of stock art on a white background. The game itself is rather interesting. Sort of a mashup of Sonic 1-3 featuring 3D Sonic moves (homing attack and wall jump) and a remix of the Mushroom Hill Zone theme. From what I can tell, each stage features gadgets that must be destroyed, similar to hunting down and destroying machines in Sonic CD. In the Didj Sonic, gadgets are word games featuring cannons, badniks gears and other devices that are controlled to fill in the blanks of words. While the game is pretty elementary (it IS for 7-10 year olds) it's rather fun. Think of it as Typing of the Dead meets Sonic the Hedgehog. If you have a little one, or must own every Sonic game ever made, both the handheld and game only cost $55 total.

The Fortress of Segatude

Okay, so its a bit of a lofty title for a small entertainment room, but its a fitting title (as you'll soon see). Since moving into our apartment a year ago, I've been slowly building up our second bedroom which was to be the computer room. One month I'd buy a shelf and a lamp, another month I'd buy some curtains and a TV stand. As time went on it grew to be a room for computer use, gaming, a DVD library and lite television watching. Let's enter the roo- er, I mean The Fortress of Segatude!

The TV, topped with Crow T. Robot, features one of my Sonic animation cels above it. I figure I'll rotate between the three cels that I have, one can't look at a half-baked Tails forever.

The heart and soul of the room, featuring Sonic who invites you to play a game. I've just recently purchased the 32X and played Star Wars Arcade on it. Amazing graphics and sound for a souped-up Genesis!

I've had this plastic storage cart since I was ten. It's perfect for the Genesis, leading me to believe it was made with the Genesis in mind. The cart holds up to 32 Genesis boxes while the upper lid is intended to hold a Model 1 or 2 Genesis. Since I have the Genesis/CD/32X monster, I had to sit it on top. The inner lid now holds the Nomad (hey, the star of this blog!), the Game Gear and the controllers.

The Men in Black themselves!

Beneath the TV are the duplicate consoles to the ones that are in the living room. This way, if the living room TV is taken I can easily play a game of Pen Pen on the clear Dreamcast. Also, having the original XBOX is the only way to play the awesome Gunvalkyrie.

At the top of the game's shelf are my Dreamcast magazines and strategy guides, my boxed Beat action figure (only $15. Thanks, ebay!), some anime and Pixar DVDs and some good ol' fashioned Sega games.

Moving up the Sega timeline are my Dreamcast games. Shenmue II not pictured :(

At the bottom are the once competition. You'll note I own Final Fantasy 7, yet I have never played it. Guess I was too busy with Tenchu 2.

On the opposite side of the room is the reason why I named the joint "The Fortress of Segatude". Admittedly, I'm not a huge Superman fan. However I did own all the movie posters, thanks to a mail-away offer included in the Superman DVD set, so I chose to frame the goofiest of the four posters. I find the "Superman III" poster inspirational, as no matter how stupid the idea was to have Superman carrying Richard Pryor, they made it happen. Proof that anything is possible.

Don't worry, I've put the better "Superman II" poster next to it. While I'm at it, why not move into the living room.

Here's the real gaming setup! The Dreamcast seen above is my Japanese model bought several months ago. It wasn't until last week that I discovered it had been chipped! Seems the ebay seller failed to mention that in the description. Now I can play any game without the need of a boot disc.

The left drawer holds all the Dreamcast accessories. It's like an orgy in there.

Things are a little more tidy in the other drawer. Beneath the stunner is my homemade Segagaga walkthrough book.

So thats the gaming setup for the time being. Geez, now I have to start actually playing the games!

Barry's Blog Roundup

NEW AVATAR!

Regular NJY readers may be wondering, "Barry, where are the posts?". Well, firstly, I spoil you all with two postings a week (but thats because I love you). Secondly, I've become made a member of the Dreamcast Junkyard writing team, so I've been busy taking photos of my collection. I've also been busy with collection post at The Saturn Junkyard as well as an assortment of Sonic merch at Sega Memories. Lastly, I've been busy with a secret project that I wish I could share, but I can't. I can tell you that it is not Sega or gaming related, it has to do with design and it involves me working with a major cable television channel. ;)

Here's what I've been busy with at the other blogs:

I'm Thinking.
My introductory article at The Dreamcast Junkyard in which I share my history with the system and photos of my collection.


Barry the Nomad's Saturn Collection
Exactly what it sounds like. Photos of my humble, but fun-filled, Saturn collection. Mmm... mint Burning Rangers...



Sonic's Mystery Box
When my parents visited two weeks ago, thy brought with them a box of random items from my Sonic collection. Take a peek inside the mystery box... if you dare!


Nomad articles to come!

Happy 10th Anniversary PAL Dreamcast!

Yesterday the blue swirl turned 10! Cheers n' all that, mates!

RetroGen and GenMobile User Reviews

While I've been happily playing my Sega Nomad which recently has returned to me (thanks Mom and Dad!), others have been receiving their RetroGen and GenMobile handhelds and have written or taped reviews. Rather than scour the internets and the Google to find these, I've conveniently linked and posted them here for you Sega fans. Are these the Nomad killers we've been waiting for? Or simply the Nomad's smaller dumber cousins? I'll give my opinion after the reviews.

The first RetroGen review comes from The Coolinator, you can read the full review at his blog. Here are some snippets:

The device itself is incredibly light and well made. The screen is a good size, it's not as big as it appears on the box or in pictures, but its a solid 2.8". The buttons are nice. It takes a little while to get used to them because they are set at an angle but they get the job done.

The only thing that isn't too good about it is the D-Pad which surprised the hell out of me because the D-Pad on the Retrogen "looked" a whole lot better then the GenMobiles one.

Next is a YouTube review of the RetroGen from EddieJ1984:



QuickSciFi created this two part review:





Finally we have a review of the GenMobile:


GENmobile

DDRGame|MySpace Videos

So there you have it! Both portables have been released and are receiving fairly positive reviews. What do I think? Maybe it's the cranky old man in me, but I'm not impressed. Sure the screen quality is great and the battery is awesome, but the control scheme, screen size and especially SOUND are all nothing compared to the Nomad. The Nomad even has the extra advantage of having a second control port. Sure, the Nomad has a short battery life, but batteries have improved greatly since 1995. Batteries exist that have nearly twice the juice as old batteries, and with rechargeable batteries you don't have to repurchase at every draining.

My final word: If you need to play Genesis games on the go, and aren't afraid to look like a dork, stick with your Nomad. If you are Nomad-less, don't care about sound quality and want to look cool, buy a GenMobile. The GenMobile controls seem to beat the RetroGen, and the built-in games save you the trouble of carrying a bunch of carts.

Nomad Does What RetroGen Don't

The often delayed and soon to be released "Nomad 2", the RetroGen, seems to deliver in every department... except for the audio. According to this direct feed footage, the RetroGen chews up lovely Genesis music and spits out a fuzzy garbled mess.



While I have yet to write the RetroGen off as a failure, this does not bode well. I'd take bulkiness and limited battery life if it meant quality stereo sound.

The Dreamcast Party Isn't Over Yet!

You may be puzzled as to why the 10th Anniversary image has returned and turned blue. No, the swirl is not holding its breath, it's the European Dreamcast logo!

October 14, 1999 saw the release of the Dreamcast to Europe and Australia. Why was the logo blue? Well, this was done to avoid copyright complications with a video game/DVD publisher named Tivola, which already used an Orange swirl as their logo. Maybe it was meant to happen, as the blue swirl has since defined a different Dreamcast territory with fans who feel as much love for the blue swirl as Americans feel towards the red swirl. The name "Blue Swirl" even became the name of one of the best VMU resources on the internet.


While I'll leave the proper tributes and historical recollections to real European Dreamcast fans, I did want to share some PAL Dreamcast games that American Dreamcast fans didn't receive, but should definitely import.

Shenmue II
While Americans were crying over the exclusive deal that Sega had made with Microsoft, effectively delaying the US release of part 2 for a year, Europeans were basking in the glory of this game. I remember importing this within a month of the release and feeling so elite, or 1337 as the kids used to say.

Jet Set Radio
Yeah, its almost the exact same game as the American release but the small differences make this a must for any JSR fan. For starters, this is the only english-language version of Jet Set Radio. In fact, this is the only version of the game to open with the proper english logo. Secondly, many of the US exclusive tracks were switched up with with much more fitting funky beats. I'll take "Recipe for the Perfect Afro" over "just Got Wicked" anyday. Finally, some of the exclusive US graffiti has been switched out for band logos and images of the UK contributors.

Headhunter
Like Shenmue II, Headhunter never hit the states as it was reserved for the PS2. I'll admit, the PS2 version looks better, especially the video cutscenes, but there is something special about playing a game on the Dreamcast.


REZ
Again, a Dreamcast game that was cancelled for a US PS2 release. While the Japanese version is the same game, the PAL version is just as good. Get whichever region you find for the lowest price.

Evil Twin
A mysterious game that I know little about. The star looks a bit like Chucky from the Child's Play films. I remember seing screens of this before it went MIA in the States. It did, however, see a PAL release and had decent reviews online.

EDIT: Cosmic Smash removed per Gagaman's comment. Shame it never made it to Europe!

Share Your Nomad

In a celebratory post at Racketboy I asked other members to share photos and memories of the Nomad. Let's see what they had to share, shall we?


Member Thierry Henry has an impressive two Nomads. I always loved that the Maximum Carnage cart was red, rare to see a Genesis cartridge in a color other than black. Thierry Henry had this to say: I've also got custom made carry cases for both, the only thing I still need is to get a battery pack for the unit to the left of the pic. It works fine off of the AC adapter but then that's not the point of a portable system.


Member aw93053 displayed his Nomad in a ray of sunshine, just as the Nomad is a ray of sunshine in all our lives.

HellHammer said: I've got two Nomads that I've had since I was a kid, I freaking loved to play Bloodlines on airplanes. My brother and I got into an argument once and he threw one to the floor. Now I have one Nomad and one Nomad with a cracked screen.

Dakinggamer87 said: I just recently got a Sega Nomad earlier this year to add to my systems collection and it is a fun portable system. I played it years ago but never owned one till now. Happy 14th Anniversary Sega Nomad!!

forsigmar said: I remember I had the official Nomad carry case. I have never seen one of those again. It had the Nomad logo stitched in the side and fit the system, battery pack and a few games.

and jalvarez82 had this to say: I regrettably sold mine a few years back. Had some good times with it. In the final weeks of owning, I spent most of the time listening to all the BGM with headphones cause I felt the sound chip was so good and so clear.

Remember, jalvarez82, theres always more Nomads in the sea. Thanks for the memories and photos!