SEGA Five: How to be the best Dreamcast collector that you can be

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In celebration of Dreamcast month, the Friday Five is back! In this installment, I thought I’d share some collecting tips for both budding, and seasoned, Dreamcast collectors. Despite the Dreamcast’s short lifespan, the console has a vast library and a number of accessories. In total, there exist around seven hundred and twenty Dreamcast games, both licensed and unlicensed. Accessories range from various controllers, to keyboards, mice, lightguns, twinsticks, arcade sticks, cameras, and more! Suffice to say, collecting for the Dreamcast is a lot of fun.

Let’s kick off the list with one of the most important things a Dreamcast collector needs to remember…

Happy 20th anniversary to Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog!

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Today marks the 20th anniversary of one of Sonic’s most inventive, craziest, and funniest cartoons: Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog! One of my strongest nostalgic connections to the Sonic franchise was this 1993 cartoon series. It was the only cartoon of my childhood which I remember watching from the very beginning. While I was a huge Ninja Turtles and The Real Ghostbusters fan, both cartoons were at their heights a few years before I began watching.

When The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (hereby known as AoStH) premiered, I remember exactly where I was. It was September 6th 1993 and I was eating breakfast in our kitchen, catching the first episode (in airing order, not production order) “Best Hedgehog”. The image after the break is a pretty accurate representation of what I saw. Yes, despite it being 1993 we still had an old black and white in our kitchen.

My Life with SEGA returns this October with an Alien-packed season 2 premiere


The SEGAbits YouTube channel original series My Life with SEGA will return this October with a three part assault on the Aliens franchise! On October 2nd, AJ revisits the Alien Trilogy, a game he reviewed way back before the series moved to SEGAbits. October 16th sees the battle of Aliens vs. Predator, and then the infamous Aliens: Colonial Marines lands the day before Halloween. Check out the trailer above, and mark your calendars!

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SEGAbits Visits SEGA of America, Inc. in Sunny San Francisco – Part 2

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Quick recap: a few weeks back I paid a visit to SEGA of America’s headquarters. In part 1, we explored the area where the offices are located, entered the office building lobby, got on an elevator, and entered SEGA’s lobby. In part 2, we’re going to explore the SEGA office lobby, taking a look at all the cool bits of SEGA history on display! Join me, as I venture inside SEGA of America.

My Life with SEGA takes to the skies with Panzer Dragoon Saga

Panzer Dragoon Saga. So much has already been said in regards to Yukio Futatsugi’s swan song for Sega’s then underrated Saturn console. It’s received unanimous praise from gamers and critics alike, and has become a highly sought after collector’s item since its release….

Expectations were exceedingly high throughout the course of Panzer Dragoon Saga’s 2 year development. Not only would it expand on the franchises mythology, but it would be the first – and, as of this writing, last – role-playing game in the series. Players would be free to explore this incredible universe by air and on foot. This series, much like the dragon itself, evolved.

Sadly, it fell on some dark days. Saturn was on its way out in North America, which resulted in Saga receiving a limited run of only 30,000 copies. Considering there were over 2 million units sold in the United States, Saga was spread pretty thin. Used copies have been known to fetch well over $500 dollars on Amazon and eBay. Just think, that’s the suggested retail price of an Xbox One.

Now, 15 years later, I’m finally going to review it. Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

SEGAbits Visits SEGA of America, Inc. in Sunny San Francisco – Part 1

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On the list of awesome opportunities that have presented themselves as a result of me becoming a SEGA fan site writer, a visit to SEGA’s San Francisco offices has taken a firm hold of the number one slot. I had already planned to take a trip to California starting in Los Angeles, heading northward via the coastal highway, and ending the San Francisco. When it came to San Fran, SEGA’s offices were at the top of the list of places to check out. At most, I figured I’d pose in front of the building, but given our connections with the SEGA community managers I went out on a limb and reached out. After a short correspondence, a date and time was set and I was in. I was going to visit SEGA’s American HQ! Through the powers of words and photos, come along with me as we step inside SEGA.

My Life with SEGA ain’t afraid of Ghostbusters on the Master System

It’s been 29 years since Ivan Reitman’s Ghostbusters graced the silver screen on June 8th 1984. Furthermore, it’s been 24 years since I’ve played Ghostbusters for the SEGA Master System. Has this relic of cross-promotional tie-ins aged just as well as the movie, or should it be cast aside along with Extreme Ghostbusters?

Find out this week on My Life with SEGA! Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

My Life with SEGA vs. Spy vs. Spy

On this week’s 2-Man Scramble, Mickey Mac and I enjoy a Master System classic; Spy vs. Spy. Based on MAD Magazine’s infamous comic strip, created by Antonio Prohías way back in 1961….

While I have fond memories of this game, Mickey Mac has gone so far as to call this “the friendship killer”. Can our friendship survive Spy vs. Spy?

Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel! After the break, check out the promo video for what My Life with SEGA has planned for July!

Presenting “My Life with SEGA: The Next Level”, a short film by A.J. Rosa

They took his game. The Holy Grail of SEGA Saturn titles….Panzer Dragoon Saga. Now, A.J. Rosa must go up against an old friend and a swarm of henchmen in order to reclaim what is rightfully his.

Starring Shawn Morgan, Mickey Mac, Doug Beamer and Alex Gonzales. Written and Directed by A.J. Rosa.

WARNING! This video contains action violence, adult language, obscure references and severe ass-kicking. VIEWER DISCRETION is STRONGLY ADVISED! Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

After the break, check out, download, and print out the kick-ass My Life with SEGA: The Next Level poster.

Review: The House of the Dead: Overkill – The Lost Reels (iOS)

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Despite SEGA West whittling down the number of franchises they’ll be focusing on, the longtime classic franchise The House of the Dead has been kept alive (no pun intended, seriously) as of recent thanks to rereleases of arcade classics and expanded enhanced ports of the franchise’s most recent title The House of the Dead: Overkill. The 2009 Wii release became a cult classic, featuring a crazy re-imagining of the light gun shooter as a grindhouse flick complete with over the top gore, 70’s film stock effects, and gratuitous language. In 2011, The House of the Dead: Overkill Extended Cut released to the PS3 with enhanced visuals and new modes and stages. We thought that was it for the Overkill titles, but we were wrong. Dead wrong. SEGA has released The House of the Dead: Overkill once again, this time on iOS and Android devices. Enough with the introductions, let’s tear into this f***er!

My Life with SEGA boots up and reviews the Genesis CDX

Time for another “classic” episode from My Life with SEGA where I review the Genesis CDX hardware, or Multi-Mega for those of you in Japan or the UK. Mind you, this is NOT a review of SEGA CD in general; just this specific piece of hardware.

Odd watching this again. This was made long before I joined SEGAbits and there are so many things I hint at here like Genesis/Star Trek, The Next Level. Hell, it practically foreshadows the 3rd Anniversary Contest and me ditching the Model 2….so fucking weird.

Anyway, on with the show! Enjoy, for this is the last old-school video I’ll be posting. It’s all new shit from this point forward. Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

After the break, check out the teaser trailer for next week’s extra special episode: My Life with SEGA: The Next Level.

My Life with SEGA boldly plays Star Trek: TNG and Starfleet Academy

With Star Trek Into Darkness hitting theatres May 17, I felt like taking a walk down memory lane with Star Trek: The Next Generation – Echoes from the Past for SEGA Genesis, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Starship Bridge Simulator for 32X….

Good God, why must these titles be so damn long?!

Anyway, these weren’t just games I picked up later as I started collecting hard-core. I grew up with ’em. Echoes from the Past was the first Star Trek game I ever played, while Starfleet Academy was one of many reasons I wanted the notorious mushroom of failure. It’s been almost 20 years since the docked on SEGA. Are these echoes from my past worth hearing, or has my enjoyment faded into a dim memory?

Let’s see what’s out there. Engage, fucker! Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!

SEGA in the Media: Parks and Rec peeks inside Andy and April’s toolbox

SEGA in the Media is back! Did you know that a certain SEGA Genesis classic made an appearance in the 2011 Halloween episode of NBC’s Parks and Recreation? You probably did, given this clip is almost two years old. In the episode, characters Andy and April throw a Halloween party, and Ron Swanson occupies himself by fixing up their house. Upon requesting their toolbox, Ron is handed a plastic bag filled with various items including… well, why don’t you watch it?

Zombie MAYhem – My Life with SEGA enters The House of the Dead

Zombie MAYhem comes to a close with my review of The House of the Dead for SEGA Saturn.

The original was a smash in arcades way back in ’97. It spawned four sequels and two atrocious cinematic adaptations. While the arcade game was met with praise, the Saturn port was slammed pretty hard upon release. Game Revolution gave it ‘C’ and called it a “sloppy port” and warned “don’t go in this house”.

But how can this be? The Saturn gave us some stellar ports, like Virtua Fighter 2 and the Virtua Cop. Why is this? Watch and learn. Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel!