RETRO Buyer's Guide

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The original Evercade blazed onto the retro game scene in 2020 promising on-the-go play in a well-curated proprietary cartridge format. After introducing a consolized version in early 2022 in the Evercade Vs., Blaze Entertainment went on to refine the original handheld and release the upgraded Evercade EXP in late 2022. Join me for this episode of RETRO Game Guide where I go over the new handheld and give a brief review of every Evercade cartridge I own to date. #evercadeexp #retrogameguide #retrogaming #evercade #blazeentertainment #evercadevs #jaleco #dataeast #doubledragon #irem #atarilynx

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Every now and then, I come across a game so bizarre and so abstract that it’s difficult to put into words. I mean, how do I even begin to describe a game where the central mechanic is to kiss as many random strangers as possible to build your reputation and popularity so you can secure the girl of your dreams? And by strangers, I mean a woman who is also part onion, a guy with a rocket strapped to his head, a literal spider man, and a telephone pole with a face. Join me as I take a look at one of the least talked about games from the Playstation 2 era that is oozing with charm, but also frustrating to play.

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The Rebirth games were all developed and released in 2009 by the acclaimed retro game preservation studio M2. Known for high-quality emulation collections, M2 built Castlevania: The Adventure Rebirth from the ground up, but it hasn't been available to purchase since the Wii Shop Channel was taken down in 2019. Join me as I go over the history of the Rebirth games and Konami's recent Castlevania collections.

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Episode 60: How to Play Nintendo Gamecube Backups with No Mods

Collecting for the Nintendo Gamecube has become really expensive in recent years, which means it's all the more important to protect your investment and back up your games. In this episode of RETRO Buyer's Guide, I show you how to play your backed up games on an unmodified Gamecube using the Datel SD Media Launcher and an SD card adapter you can purchase cheaply off of Amazon. 

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Episode 59: Revisiting the Atari Jaguar 

Five years ago, I reviewed the Atari Jaguar on this channel. Besides the capture footage being ancient composite quality, I didn't own many of the games that people say make the Jaguar worth owning so I could show them off. Since then, I have beefed up my collection, and I wanted to go back to revisit the console and give it a more fair review. As a bonus, I also read through the comments people left on the original video to complain about it. 

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Episode 58: Atari ST Computers 

The Atari ST line of computers were the successors to the Atari 8-bit line of computers and the company’s first 16 and 32 bit offerings. The 520ST was the first to debut in 1985 and it’s quite a bit more advanced than previous computers released by Atari. For one, it utilizes an operating system known as TOS, which a GUI known as GEM, which stands for Graphics Environment Manager. It’s the first graphical user interface that shipped with Atari computers and it’s very capable and user-friendly. Less than a year later, the 1040ST was released with a full 1 megabyte of memory for less than $1,000, a first for the time. You could buy the computers with a built-in or external 3.5-inch floppy drive and connect it to a high resolution color or monochrome monitor. Other models of the Atari ST were released, which include STF or STFM in the model. They stand for floppy and modulator respectively. That indicates if the computer comes with a built-in floppy drive and RF modulator, which would allow the computer to connect to a television’s RF connector.

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Episode 57: Sega Mega Mouse 

The Sega Mega Mouse was released in 1994 and is compatible with both the Sega CD and the Genesis/Mega Drive. While it didn't have a killer app like Mario Paint on the Super Nintendo, there are games that do greatly benefit from using the peripheral. Unfortunately, only a handful of games came out that actually took advantage of the Mega Mouse⁠—most of them being released on the Sega CD. Check some of the best compatible games out in this episode.

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Episode 56: Sega 32X 

The Sega 32X is an ill-fated add-on for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive that was released in 1994. The Sega Saturn wasn't due to be released until a year later, but excited gamers could get a taste of the next generation of 32-bit gaming with the 32X, which only cost $159.99 when it was released — less than half what the Saturn would cost when it came out in 1995. The 32X had a successful launch, but died fairly quickly for a platform, with several titles being cancelled or hastily released. Within its small library of games, there are some decent titles though.

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Episode 55: Seaman for the Sega Dreamcast 

The Dreamcast marked one of Sega's most experimental and creative periods with landmark releases like Jet Set Radio, Shenmue and Seaman. This game about raising a half fish, half human creature may not have made a big splash back in 2000, but it's slowly gained a following over the years as more people discover the wisdom of Seaman. What is consciousness? Is the internet just a distraction designed by our corporate masters to keep us complacent while they rob us of our freedom? IS GAS GOOD TO DRINK??? Seaman provides the answers to these questions and more in this episode of RETRO Buyer's Guide.

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Episode 54: MSX Computers 

The MSX computer line was a joint venture between ASCII Corporation and Microsoft Japan to standardize PCs in the '80s between the various hardware manufacturers at the time. Developers like Konami launched many of the franchises that would become very popular on later platforms — Metal Gear, Gradius and Bomberman to name a few. In this episiode of RETRO Buyer's Guide, I take a look at my Sony Hit-Bit MSX1 computer and show off some of the games that defined the MSX computer line.

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Episode 53: Replacing the Battery in a Sega Dreamcast 

Even though it feels like 9-9-99 was forever ago, the Sega Dreamcast still continues to excite gamers with its diverse library of games and "thinking out of the box" style. But one thing that has almost certainly failed in most of the consoles by now is the rechargeable battery that was soldered onto the controller board. In this episode of RETRO Buyer's Guide, I show you how to replace the old battery with some new parts that should keep it going until Sega releases the Dreamcast 2. Just kidding about that last part. 

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Episode 52: Coleco Adam 

The Coleco Adam was a very ambitious home computer package that was available as a standalone unit or an expansion to the wildly Colecovision video game console. Unfortunately, production problems, faulty hardware and poor management decisions led to the Adam's demise and Coleco's exit out of the video game industry entirely. In this episode of RETRO Buyer's Guide, I take a look at the Adam and curse the designers for attaching the power supply to the printer.

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Episode 51: Gaming on a PVM Long before LCDs, LEDs and OLEDs, some professional video monitors offered a super sharp picture by accepting RGB signals. Today, they are very sought after by retro gamers despite being hard to find and kind of expensive. Are they worth it? You be the judge.

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I beat Akumajo Densetsu, the Japanese version of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse with the cool extra sound channels, for like the 50th time in my life. No matter how old I get, I will always love this game.

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Episode 50

Is it episode 50 already?! For this very special RETRO Buyer's Guide episode I take a look at a pretty cool handheld I got for Christmas, the Retro Duo Portable. This device allows you to take your Super Nintendo and Super Famicom cartridges out of your console and play them on the go. With the use of an additional adapter, you can also have access to the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo and Sega Genesis library of games on the Retro Duo Portable. While there are a few issues with the handheld and its "portability," the Retro Duo Portable is mostly a solid purchase in my opinion.

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Episode 49

In this episode of RETRO Buyer's Guide, I take a look at five of my favorite games for the Sega Genesis. I originally intended this video to be about my top 10 hidden gems, but a crashed hard drive changed my plans. I hope you enjoy this instead and let me know what your favorite Sega Genesis games are in the comments below.

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Episode 48: Working Designs

When video game enthusiast Victor Ireland talked his boss at Working Designs into publishing PC Engine games, he set the company off into an exciting new direction that would bring over some of the most memorable role playing games from Japan to the West. Many who have played the Lunar games or other classics like Popful Mail cherish Working Design's unique charm put into each game's localization and the lavish collector's packaging. In this episode of RETRO Buyer's Guide, I take a look at the history of Working Designs, one of my favorite video game publishers, and the legacy of fantastic games they left behind that are highly sought after today.