Stuff (new article on Retro Domination, podcasts, etc)

Posted Tuesday, 18th February 2014 under Soapbox rants
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Just a heads up – yes, I’m still alive but real life has been keeping me from blogging much lately (all good stuff, but the kind that keeps you busy). Plus I’ve been trying to make more time to play games rather than just write about them, which I’ve been doing by spending some spare time playing Popful Mail on the Sega CD, Tokyo Xtreme Racer 3 (Shutokou Battle 3) on the PS2, NES Remix on the WiiU and Bravely Default (well, only the demo so far) on the 3DS.

Anywho, a while back I put together some articles adapted from my travels in Japan for Retro Domination – part 1 went up last year and part 2 is now online. I got into a bit more detail into prices and stuff in those ones compared to what I wrote in my series, so I’m hoping others will find it useful.

I’d also like to plug three things I’ve been enjoying lately:

• Yakumo from Segagaga Domain has been working hard on his latest season of Retro Core and has recently started a new series with his trademark take on retro gaming called Battle of the Ports. Connoisseurs of HD quality will be pleased to know he’s recently started uploading 60fps versions, which look spectacular.
• Retro Domination is an awesome site for Australian retro gaming articles and tid bits (admittedly I’m a bit biased as I’ve been fortunate enough to know some of the guys from the site for a while now). Their podcast in particular is great fun and a regular feature on my playlist when commuting to/from work. You should listen to it too.
• I’ve started listening to VGMpire following their guest appearance on the relaunched Retronauts podcast. If you enjoy critical discussion of game music laced with Simpsons jokes, you’ll be in nerd heaven. Another one on my playlist for the daily commute.

So yeah, just a quick one for today (well, quick by my standards). I’m hoping to write a bit more as the year goes on, but I’m not prepared to make a schedule at this stage because a lot’s happening. Expect some musings on games at some stage, and I’ve also put together my to-do list for mods this year, but I don’t think a Modding March is going to happen in 2014. A “Modding May” may well be an option though, as I should be able to get the components together and have some of my commitments settle by then. Maybe 🙂

Retro Core Season 3 is up!

Posted Wednesday, 15th February 2012 under Video game shows
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Yes, it’s belated, but I was checking up on some stuff over at Assembler Games and Yakumo has started up Retro Core Season 3. I finally finished catching up on Retro Core SS just the other day and am about to dive into the new series. He’s also started uploading them in lovely 720p if you have a display that can take advantage of it 🙂

Can’t wait to see what he has in store, I’m sure it’ll be awesome! Everything’s up on the Retro Core site, including all the old episodes as well.

Mind, it’s also reminded me that Yakumo’s also running a Saturn store (which I’ve blogged about previously), so I might have to drop past to see what he’s got to add to my collection 😀

Segagaga Domain Store is open again!

Posted Monday, 10th October 2011 under Shopping
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I’ve been thinking that quite a number of hoarding retro gamers don’t share their sources openly enough (and to be honest, I’ve been a bit like that in the past). So, I thought I’d change that up a bit and start posting about places I like to shop at online for new and retro games. I’ll also add them to the links section for easy reference down the track.

Today I’m going to talk about the work Yakumo over at Segagaga Domain (who is also the creator of the excellent retro gaming series Retro Core, a show I’ve discussed before) is doing now that he’s re-opened the online store. If I remember correctly, he used to run a similar venture a number of years back, selling Japanese Saturn and DC games acquired during his shopping expeditions as an ex-pat living in Japan. The new store he’s opened currently focuses solely on Saturn gear, with stacks of titles at great prices and very reasonable shipping costs for overseas buyers. I’ve made a few orders from there in the past and have had no issues whatsoever with the goods he’s selling – the descriptions are accurate and include all the nerdy details people like myself find important (such as stating condition/presence of everything in the set, including spine cards, and plenty of accurate photos) and everything’s been packed nicely.

As a bonus, I’ll hazard a guess that sales from the store help keep the site alive, which can only be a good thing. The wealth of content and coverage there is mammoth, so it’s definitely recommended if you’re into Sega consoles or Japanese gaming in general. Plus there’s also Retro Core, which I believe is essential viewing for anyone with even a remote interest in Japanese games. Especially the undercover videos of arcades, Japanese game stores and some of the general stuff around Japan too.

So check it out – Segagaga Domain – The Store – because good sources for gaming should be shared, not kept a secret!

Retro Core Summer Special 2010 – coming in August!

Posted Wednesday, 14th July 2010 under Video game shows
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I was just over at Segagaga Domain and read that Yakumo’s working on a 2010 follow-up to the excellent 2009 summer special he put together! This make me very excitied, as I’ve been a fan since discovering the show shortly after getting broadband back in… 2005 or 2006. I’ve waxed lyrical about Retro Core before, and it’s awesome to see another special on the way 🙂

Expect a review once it’s out 🙂

Finishing up the annual viewing of Retro Core

Posted Tuesday, 27th October 2009 under Video game shows
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For some bizarre reason, once a year following a few episodes of a retro cartoon I may be watching (going through the Thundercats box sets are the usual triggers!) I get the compulsion to watch all the way through the excellent Retro Core series available over at Segagaga Domain. I first came across the independant retro gaming show a few months prior to getting broadband connected up at home, but didn’t think much of it because I couldn’t justify downloading it on dialup, especially since there were quota limits even on that here in Australia. Then in 2006 I stumbled across the Segagaga Domain website when looking up Saturn gear, and realised this Retro Core thing was what I’d been looking at a while back! I promptly downloaded Yakumo’s awesome shakycam footage of a trip to Akihabara, then started from episode 1 and caught up to the show. After that, I made a habit of downloading the show each month and loved every minute of it!

For those unaware, Retro Core is produced by British ex-pat Japanese resident (and forum regular over at the Assembler Games) Yakumo. The guy’s huge fan of Japanese gaming, particularly retro games. Each episode features footage of him playing through games across all different platforms – Saturn, PC Engine, N64, MSX, Sharp x68000, NES, Master System, Game Gear, SNES, etc – and over the top of the audio it features commentary on what’s happening on-screen. Now, depending on how you sit with an opinionated British accent you’ll either love it or hate it – personally, I think it’s awesome 🙂

The cool thing about the show is the huge variety of games, many often released only in Japan. I have a considerably large pile of games in my collection I’ve tracked down after watching his show, and it also showcased systems I’d never had much experience with, like the PC Engine, MSX and Sharp x68000. The man also has a crazy passion for his Saturn and Dreamcast, which is something I can relate to.

In addition to that, he’s also gone on the move taking footage while out shopping at awesome Japanese video game stores and districts (like the aforementioned trip to Akihabara), independant and chain game centres (arcades to us Westerners), and has gotten kicked out of more locations than I can count off the top of my head for persevering with videotaping stuff 🙂

So anyways, a few months back he released a special summer 2009 edition of Retro Core which I downloaded as soon as I saw it, and before I knew it, I’d gone back to the first episode to watch them all the way through! Last night before going to bed I finished up the final episode of the second series, and as always, it was an awesome ride. I would highly recommend you check it out – the website’s linked throughout this post, but just to make it even more obvious, the URL is: http://www.segagagadomain.com/.

In addition to Retro Core, he also has a huge range of hosted, streaming videos of games across various platforms, all with excellent video quality and in stereo to boot! With the big Sega focus in Segagaga Domain’s main resources, it’s a slice of awesome and a site I make sure to check out regularly.

But yes, Retro Core – it’s awesome, and while I understand time commitments mean that it can’t be a regular thing these days anymore, I just wanted to put it out there that I think it’s an awesome show, and essential viewing if you’re into retro games or Japanese games in general.