Beat in the Box - JSRF Merch

When it comes to SmileBit's Jet Set Radio franchise, I guess I'd say I'm a fan...

Okay... I own five discs when there are essentially two games. I'm a BIG fan. While I have yet to snag the holy grail of JSR merch, the De La Jet Set Radio Dreamcast Direct box, I was able to find another JSR item that has been on my want list for a while:

It's the GamePro Beat figure! I found this bad boy (or is that Rudie?) on ebay for $20, quite a good price considering how infrequently the figure appears and how high the starting price usually is. For those interested, a "buy it now" auction with a quantity of three figures has appeard on ebay, the cost per figure is just under $40. For those with deep pockets, a limited edition run of 500 "prototype" figures are out there, but when you do find one look to spend between $250 to $400. WAY too much for essentially an unpainted version of the same figure.

Big Go!

The figure itself is not too bad. A true Beat can never be captured in figure form, as JSR never look quite looks right when not cel shaded. Just look at Beat and Gum in Sega Superstars Tennis. While I'll probably never open the box, it doesn't look like many more poses are possible than the one already seen. Beat also comes with a nifty character card, the requisite spray can and a section of street which, according to the box, can hang on the wall for gravity-defying poses. Ooh!

The package opens to reveal a glowing review from GamePro. It took me forever to realize that the background is a huge squashed picture of Professor K. Can you see him?

I know Gagaman has one of those Crazy Taxi cabs.

The back advertises some more figures that I'd like to own as well as a game that I already have two of. Besides the Beat figure, there is very little in terms of Jet Set Radio merchandise. Hot Wheels released an easy to aquire Cougar Tuner car with a JSRF paintjob (premonitions of Beat's cameo in All-Stars Racing?). Also available are two soundtracks of the respective games, although bootlegs of these are plentiful and ebay can't always be trusted. Another piece, which I hope to share here someday if I ever find it, is a big JSRF poster that I bought back in the day. I'm unsure if it was legit, but it featured huge high res in-game models of Beat, Gum and Corn and featured a swirly blue background.

Oh, and I need to add this to my collection as well:

Apologies to ~camilliette on deviantART

It's almost time for New Super Mario Bros. Wii

The latest game in the main Mario series, the 2-D side-scrolling "New Super Mario Bros. Wii", is due to be released in Australasia on November 12th, North America on November 15th, Europe on November 20th and Japan on December 3rd.

For the first time ever in a Mario game, it includes simultaneous multiplayer capability for up to 4 players. It is a further development of the "New Super Mario Bros." game on the Nintendo DS. See this excellent article in Wikipedia for more information.

If you would like to play a free online version of a classic Super Mario Bros. game, then check out the brilliant New Super Mario Bros. Flash Online Game, which includes a level editor that you can use to design, build and save your own levels!

There are hundreds more fantastic free Super Mario Bros. online games for you to enjoy in the MarioSonicGames.com website.

It's almost time for New Super Mario Bros. Wii

The latest game in the main Mario series, the 2-D side-scrolling "New Super Mario Bros. Wii", is due to be released in Australasia on November 12th, North America on November 15th, Europe on November 20th and Japan on December 3rd.

For the first time ever in a Mario game, it includes simultaneous multiplayer capability for up to 4 players. It is a further development of the "New Super Mario Bros." game on the Nintendo DS. See this excellent article in Wikipedia for more information.

If you would like to play a free online version of a classic Super Mario Bros. game, then check out the brilliant New Super Mario Bros. Flash Online Game, which includes a level editor that you can use to design, build and save your own levels!

There are hundreds more fantastic free Super Mario Bros. online games for you to enjoy in the MarioSonicGames.com website.

Sonic's Mystery Box

This past weekend my parents came to visit, and along with a fun-filled weekend came all of my Sega games, accessories and consoles that I had left at their house. After quietly sneaking six boxes past my girlfriend, I came to the last box. Inside was an odd assortment of items from my Sonic collection. My parents craftily snuck in a bit of things that I didn't ask to be brought. Rather than being a little brat, I thanked them for this random selection of Sonic items and now I'd like to share Sonic's mystery box with all of you!




The first item is this oversized Sonic Shuffle display box, for in-store use to advertise Sonic's so-so party game. The box even includes an over sized image of the back of the case (not pictured). I believe I saw this at a GameStop back in '01 and asked if I could have it, obviously I got it. Guess it wasn't doing it's job of pushing copies of the game.


Up next is one of my favorite items, the Sonic child's necktie. I've always been a fan of red ties, and Sonic with his line of rings only makes this BETTER than any other red necktie. The downside: it's too small for me to wear. Also in the box was a Game Gear bubble gum container with one Sonic Spinball trading card inside. I remember having many more of these, including pink Sonic & Knuckles branded containers. The Sonic 3 Tiger Pocket Arcade is mint in box and was sold for $4.79, if only I had the courage to open it and play it. Damn my collector sensibilities!


One of the coolest box items was my Sonic lunchbox! I wisely never used this, as evidenced by the cleaning instructions card found inside of the thermos. I always love American Sonic merch featuring the game design of Eggman, very uncommon to find the yellow collared version. Usually he was swapped out for the AoStH Robotnik. Speaking of AoStH Robotnik...


he appears inside the lunchbox on an unopened box of Sonic Valentines! Also inside are a mini Sonic plush and the McDonald's Billy Hatcher handheld. Isn't that head on view of Sonic winking wild?? Let's take a look at the back:


Sonic missed sawing through Robotnik by inches! I guess even Sonic and his nemesis feel love for eachother on Valentine's Day.


Here is an unopened Sonic Adventure bendy 4 PAK. I remember having another variation of this box, including Eggman I believe. Note the orange Dreamcast arrow to the left. Moving on to...


Denny's Sonic Underground plushies! One of the only positives to come out of that awful show was the Denny's Knuckles plush. Love the little rivets on the shoes. ^_^ Kawaii!


Strewn about the bottom of the box were my Sonic Adventure action figures. The stands and floating rings were nice touches, the Tails figure is an excellent sculpt! On top of the smaller figures was my giant Sonic figure, finally a match for 10 inch Metal.


The scraps on the bottom included McDonald's handheld baggies, instruction cards and instruction guides to my Sonic 2 and Sonic 3D Blast Tiger Games (the games themselves weren't in this box).

So there you have it! A random sampling of my Sonic collection, as selected by my mother (hence the randomness). This is only a fraction of my Sonic collection, a collection that I hope to show in full one day here at Sega Memories. As a parting gift, a shot of all the Sonic games I own:

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games 2010 is out now

The second title in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series - this one designed to tie-in with the Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver, Canada early next year - is released on the Nintendo Wii and DS in Europe today, following on from its recent releases in North America and Australasia. (It is due for release in Japan early next month.)

So far "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games 2010" has received excellent reviews, based on the fact that it features 21 playable characters (10 each from the Mario and Sonic franchises plus a Mii) and 27 winter sports events to compete in. Some events in the Wii version can be played with the Wii Balance Board, and the snowboarding events have been highlighted as being especially good fun when played that way.

You can watch an official trailer for the game, showing a short clip of the snowboarding, here.

And you can play a free Sonic Snowboarding online game here.

There are hundreds of fantastic free Mario and Sonic online games for you to enjoy in the MarioSonicGames.com website.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games 2010 is out now

The second title in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series - this one designed to tie-in with the Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver, Canada early next year - is released on the Nintendo Wii and DS in Europe today, following on from its recent releases in North America and Australasia. (It is due for release in Japan early next month.)

So far "Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games 2010" has received excellent reviews, based on the fact that it features 21 playable characters (10 each from the Mario and Sonic franchises plus a Mii) and 27 winter sports events to compete in. Some events in the Wii version can be played with the Wii Balance Board, and the snowboarding events have been highlighted as being especially good fun when played that way.

You can watch an official trailer for the game, showing a short clip of the snowboarding, here.

And you can play a free Sonic Snowboarding online game here.

There are hundreds of fantastic free Mario and Sonic online games for you to enjoy in the MarioSonicGames.com website.

Mega Drive Complete Japanese game Library

I did one of these for the Dreamcast once, so why not the Mega Drive? I've been on a bit of a high for Mega Drive Japanese games lately, so for those collecting them here is every game released in Japan for the system in chronological order (according to the database over at Guardiana), with their front covers featured which I found from various sources (some games were hard to find the covers of, so the quality of the pictures varies) and some OC Remixes of Ristar and Streets of Rage for good measure.

Funny to think of how many games they got over there that we didn't, yet their game line up is actually missing quite a lot too, such as Vectorman. Many Japanese versions of the games are much rarer, especially most of the games from 1995. Maximum Carnage and Bart's Nightmare can be found here easily and aren't even very good games, yet the Japanese version fetch hundreds upon hundreds of quid. A bit silly, really.

There's something to be said about the boxart from Japan though: there is a lot of nice artwork to be found. Compare the likes of Jewel Master, Alisha Dragon, Strider and others to their Western counterparts, you have to wonder what was going through their heads. Still, there are some odd choices like the cover to the The Ooze, which try to stand out as some sort of newspaper article with no artwork or screenshots, and Bio Hazard Battle goes by the name 'Crying' for some reason. These kind of differences from the west and east don't tend to happen so much now.

A blog you'll want to check out if you're looking to start collecting Japanese Mega Drives would be Mega Drive Memories by Ian Wilson.

More Juvi-nile Delinquents

As promised on the back of the SDCC Metal Sonic Juvi figure, the Juvi figures of Sonic, Knuckles, Shadow and the Werehog have hit stores!

Photo lovingly ripped from ebay

Like Metal Sonic, the first series are Toyr R Us exclusives. Unlike Metal Sonic, they can be found in stores and have yet to hit the online shop. Each figure goes for a reasonable $9.99 each. My take: I think they look alright, but I don't think I'll be buying them. The face sculpts look a bit too extreme and "Sonic X"-ish. I also don't like that they all look like they spotted a penny on the floor. You'll notice Sonic has a "shine" on the top of his head, like a light blue paint roller ran across his forehead. Besides the wonky look to their faces, the paint/print job itself is lovely and they look to be just as quality a product as the Metal Sonic.

The prototypes clearly had more of a neck and were looking upwards.

Internet rumors speculate that Series 2 will contain Amy, Silver, and Metal Sonic. I'd take this with a grain of salt, as Metal Sonic has already been released. Unless a variaton is made, or the exclusiveness of the SDCC figure is to be dissolved, I suspect we'll be seeing Tails and Blaze rounding out the four. I'll admit, when I read "Silver" I got excited for the Sonic 2 boss, only to realize they were talking about the Sonic '06 Silver the Hedgehog. C'est la vie!

In other news: Metal Sonic has returned to the Toys R Us online store! Get him while you can!

10 Inch Metal Sonic... ACTIVATE!

10 Inch Metal Sonic has arrived! And as quickly as he arrived, he is now sold out from the Toys R Us online store. It's no wonder that this figure went so fast, just look at him! A near perfect figure of a Sonic fan favorite who has been sorely underrepresented in the merchandising world. Figures may still be available in stores, though they are going fast. One's best bet to obtain one would be to call local Toys R Us stores or search eBay, though avid Sonic fans should avoid auctions going for more than $40.

"shh... When Sonis turns around he is going to freak the hell out." 

The figure is awesome, no question, but the price to quality ratio does not make this a figure worth a $50 eBay auction. The paint has a lovely metallic shine, but can be a little sloppy in spots. My figure looks great on a shelf, but looking a bit closer you'll see a few small splatters of paint and areas that aren't completely filled in. For example, unlike the in-game model, Metal's silver chin stops short. Still, the paint job is great for a figure of this price.


The rear engine is my favorite part. He has SEGA printed on his ass, which I'm a bit envious of.

As you can see, bigger IS better.

Even rarely seen areas, like the bottoms of Metal's shoes, are finely detailed. You'll find some parts that are so detailed, you'll swear it's a joint. The silver hinge of Metal's foot is only sculpted, and is not an actual point of articulation. Speaking of articulation, Metal has 18 points. The arms, head and hands move about brilliantly, with the Thumbs even able to swivel for "thumbs up" poses. The legs aren't as wonky as the Werehog figure, so you can do a variety of standing poses without fear of Metal tipping over.

Father and Son

"If only more people actually finished this game to see my epic return... who am I kidding. I wore a cape... that is so not me. I hate capes!"

A great figure of a great character. What more can I say? Metal has returned!

Magical Flying Turbo hat Adventure: The More you Know!

Image from Segagagadomain

I'm sure you've all heard of the original Japanese version of the Mega Drive game Decap Attack, known over there under the crazy name of 'Magical Flying Turbo Hat Adventure', but it seems there was more to this than just a game.




I had a feeling it was probably based on an anime based on the copyright to Studio Pierrot on the title screen and box art, and from seraching for the game by it's Japanese name I came across a few things, like this opening to the anime:

There's a more colorful clip of this intro over at Nico Video, though you have to be registered to the site to view that. You might even recognize the music from the title screen of the game, makes sense. Pierrot still have a small official website set up for the anime, and there is an ending credits clip here. Yes, that is a 'Bye Bye Baby' cover you're hearing. According to some anime database website it was only running between the years of 1989 and 1990, so it can't of really took off.

What I was quite surprised to find is this anime had quite the merchindise push that it appaers was also led by Sega. They do have a toys department after all, that gave Japan the Zillion Laser tag game and the Pico pre-school console. There's lots of images of the boxes to toys of the robots from it on a website called Mandarake, as well as odd bits and bobs like keychains and small toys below, all with Sega's logo slapped on it.


There is also manga books to be found on Yahoo Auctions, and a DVD box set of the anime floating about. Would I want to watch it? Probably not, but it's just a fascinating sort of alternate dimension to me, growing up with the Decap Attack comic rather than this. The fact that main main bad guy in both versions is more or less just a different colour from the other links the two together in a funny kind of way (ok, they don't look exactly the same in the below pics, but in game they did), and it gives more context to an otherwise very odd (and fun) import Sega platformer.

None of this explains why Fantastic Dizzy is in the game, though.

Oh, and while I'm talking about Decap Attack, check out this amazing fan made figure of Chuck D. Head!

Sega Fan Art Showcase: Streets of Rage

I must admit, I'm pleasantly surprised by just how much great fan art of Streets of rage (AKA Bare Knuckle) I've found on DeviantArt (along with some rather dodgy stuff as always). Many still have a soft spot for this trilogy of Mega Drive beat 'em ups, it seems! Haven't done one of these in a while, so why not?

by J-Estacado



by Wandger

by XGoldenboyX

by 2Dforever

by Yoanndurand

by ChickenDoodleSoup

by Nonoko78

'Last Wish' by Murici0
(and yes, that is why us boys played as Blaze. Sorry.)

The oldest Sega Commercials Youtube can offer

You probably already knew this, but the infamous 'SEGA!' voice wasn't first used at the start of Sonic 1, but in fact many years earlier in commercials on Japanese TV as far back as 1983! Hunting around Youtube you can find plenty of just-about watchable recording of some of these relics of Sega advertising, starting with this collection of ads selling Sega's first ever console the SG-1000. Oh, and you may want to watch this with your fingers in your ears at the start, as they may hurt otherwise.

Apparently the girl goes by the name of Saito Yuko and was quite the popular TV type person at the time. I guess you could call her the first member of G.L.O.S: The Gorgeous Ladies of Sega (As Classic Game Room revealed in their Daytona USA review) as Sega have since had a whole string of girls as their advertising mascots over the years. There is also apparently an extremely nerdy pun in that last ad that will go over most people's heads even if they know Japanese. I'm only going by what people in the comments are saying, mind you.

Now this one is for the SG-3000, which was a sort of home computer version of the SG-1000 I guess, much like the Tera Drive which was a PC combined with a Mega Drive (that we got in the UK as the Amstrad Mega PC). What's with the giant teeth/brushes? Why do they light up like Christmas decorations? I have no idea what in the hell is going on but it's hilarious!Just look at that guys face about 10 seconds in!

Remember, Sega have made toys too! This rather elaborate commercial is for the Zillion laser tag game from 1987. A similar toy was released here in 1992 called the Sega Lock-On, though they changed the gun design which in Japan is the same as that of the Mark III/Master System light gun. There is another ad for it here. Zillion was quite a big deal for Sega in the eighties, with two games and even an anime by Tatsunoko.

Finally, I really couldn't resist posting this one just because of the voice. WEELEE! JAAAMP! TUNAAP! You should really check out Nazca88's channel, he has a pile of old Sega commercials and interesting Sonic videos from Japan.