Author Archives: ryan

About ryan

@DefStan480

Differences Between the Saturn and PlayStation 2 Sega Ages Phantasy Star Collections

Posted on August 5, 2014 by ryan

Last year, I wrote about the Sega Ages Phantasy Star Complete Collection for PS2 (which had recently been made available on the Japanese PSN for PS3). After years of pining for the Saturn Phantasy Star Collection, I recently, while on … Continue reading →

Posted in Phantasy Star, Sega Ages, Sega Saturn | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Japanese Phantasy Star II Futabasha Hint Book

Posted on July 30, 2014 by ryan

Purchased at Super Potato in Akihabara for 880 yen last week, this hint book/mini strategy guide is one of the coolest Phantasy Star items I own.

Posted in Genesis, Mega Drive, Phantasy Star | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shopping for Sega Saturn Games in Japan

Posted on July 25, 2014 by ryan

The Sega Saturn was a great system with an incredible library of games. Unfortunately, many of the best games never made it to the west, or were released in limited quantities and are now prohibitively expensive. In Japan however, it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Collecting, Sega Saturn, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Hazuki Diaries Part Four – Let’s Get Sweaty

Posted on May 31, 2014 by ryan

“The Hazuki Diaries” is a project in which I chronicle my replay of the original Shenmue on the Dreamcast. Check out part one here. After asking around a bit, I learned that Charlie often hung out at a tattoo parlor in … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreamcast, Shenmue, Yu Suzuki | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Hazuki Diaries Part Three – Kickin’ Ass and Feedin’ Cats

Posted on May 25, 2014 by ryan

“The Hazuki Diaries” is a project in which I chronicle my replay of the original Shenmue on the Dreamcast. Check out part one here and part two here. If the previous day was one of sloth and distraction (paralleling my own real-life Sundays), … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreamcast, Shenmue, Uncategorized, Yu Suzuki | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Dangerous Business

Posted on May 24, 2014 by ryan

I randomly stumbled across this Amazon.com review of Bust-A-Move 4 on Dreamcast: …which inspired me to create this, in the style of Jack Chick Publication tracts: It’s important to be able to amuse yourself, I think.  

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The Hazuki Diaries Part Two – I’ll Find Lan Di, Just Hang-On

Posted on May 24, 2014 by ryan

“The Hazuki Diaries” is a project in which I chronicle my replay of the original Shenmue on the Dreamcast. Check out part one here. I left my home in search of anyone who knew anything about the people involved with … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreamcast, Hang-On, Shenmue, Yu Suzuki | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Hazuki Diaries Part One – December 3, 1986

Posted on May 22, 2014 by ryan

I had a lot of fun documenting my replay of Phantasy Star Online Ver. 2 on the Dreamcast, so I decided to do it again, but this time with Shenmue! I’m calling it “The Hazuki Diaries” and it’s going to … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreamcast, Shenmue, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

Top Five Sega Games That I Love But Am Totally Terrible At

Posted on May 21, 2014 by ryan

Video games, being an interactive medium, make certain demands of the player. Most require a time commitment, patience, and a degree of skill. Here are five Sega games that I’ve given near infinite time and patience, but could never develop … Continue reading →

Posted in Chu Chu Rocket, Dreamcast, F-Zero GX, Sega Rally, Space Channel 5, Virtual On | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Phantasy Star Offline Project – FINAL WEEK

Posted on May 17, 2014 by ryan

Phantasy Star Offline is a project where my goal is to complete Ver.2 on Dreamcast solo. Read about why here, week one here, week two here, and week three here. When we last left off, I was EXTREMELY PUMPED about a cool weapon I … Continue reading →

Posted in Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star Online | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Thoughts – Tomee Dreamcast HD VGA Cable

Posted on May 14, 2014 by ryan

This Dreamcast VGA cable is relatively new to the market (according to Amazon, it was released in December of 2013) and acts as a lower-priced alternative to the increasingly costly Dreamcast VGA boxes.

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The Phantasy Star Offline Project – Belated Week Three

Posted on May 11, 2014 by ryan

Phantasy Star Offline is a project where my goal is to complete Ver.2 on Dreamcast solo. Read about why here, week one here, and week two here. When I last left off at the end of January, I had just reached the Ruins … Continue reading →

Posted in Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star Online | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Thoughts – Shining Soul

Posted on May 4, 2014 by ryan

Originally Released: 2002 (Japan) / 2003 (NA) Version Played: Game Boy Advance I’ve never really been able to enjoy games on consoles or portables with an isometric perspective. From Q*bert to Crusader: No Remorse to The Immortal, something about the angle and … Continue reading →

Posted in Shining Force, Shining Series, Shining Soul | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Late Thoughts – Sonic Lost World

Posted on January 25, 2014 by ryan

Originally Released: 2013 Version Played: Wii U When Sonic Lost World launched last October, reviews were… mixed. While some appreciated the soundtrack, creative stage design, and game play variety, others found the story lacking, the game too frustrating, or the new … Continue reading →

Posted in Sonic, Sonic Team | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Phantasy Star Offline Project – Week Two

Posted on January 23, 2014 by ryan

Phantasy Star Offline is a project where my goal is to complete Ver.2 on Dreamcast solo. Read about why here and week one here. Thursday Hit my first somewhat frustrating point in the game so far. There is a quest where I … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreamcast, Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star Online, Sonic Team | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Electronica or Buttrock- What is Sega’s Musical Legacy?

Posted on January 19, 2014 by ryan

As I listened to the final episode of Saturday Night Sega (RIP) recently, I was struck by the sheer variety of the tunes played during the show. Despite all the disparate styles of songs played, two genres were most prevalent: … Continue reading →

Posted in Crush 40, Game music, Jet Set Radio, Shenmue, Space Channel 5, The House of the Dead, Victory Goal, Yu Suzuki, Yuzo Koshiro | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Phantasy Star Offline Project – Week One

Posted on January 16, 2014 by ryan

Phantasy Star Offline is a project where my goal is to complete Ver.2 on Dreamcast solo. Read about why here. APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE for the crappy “screenshot” quality. All pics were taken with my phone because I don’t have any … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreamcast, Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star Online, Sonic Team | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Phantasy Star Online – Knowing One’s Heart

Posted on January 14, 2014 by ryan

“Knowing One’s Heart” is a PSO quest that I found absolutely fascinating. So much so that I decided to record the entire thing (in a decidedly lo-fi way- photographing my TV was my only real option). Here it is, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreamcast, Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star Online, Sonic Team | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – Ryo Hazuki DLC

Posted on January 14, 2014 by ryan

One Ryo Hazuki DLC for Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed (PC Steam version), $1.59. I’ll try it.

Posted in After Burner, Hang-On, OutRun, Shenmue, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, Space Harrier, Sumo Digital, Yu Suzuki | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Phantasy Star Memories Section from the Official Guide

Posted on January 12, 2014 by ryan

The Phantasy Star Online Official Perfect Guide from Versus Books (by Casey Loe and Nick Rox) is my favorite guide of all time (I own two copies). So when Nick asked me if I could scan the “Phantasy Star Memories” … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreamcast, Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star Online, Rieko Kodama | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Phantasy Star Offline Project – Week Zero

Posted on January 9, 2014 by ryan

Some of my greatest memories ever playing a game come from Phantasy Star Online on the Dreamcast. In 2001 when the game launched, I was (sometimes) attending an undemanding community college in the morning, three days a week, and working … Continue reading →

Posted in Dreamcast, Phantasy Star, Phantasy Star Online, Sonic Team | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Two Hours With Aliens: Colonial Marines

Posted on January 7, 2014 by ryan

Originally Released: 2013 Version Played: PC (Steam) With the news today of Creative Assembly’s Alien: Isolation turning out to be a Pretty Cool Thing, I decided to give one of the Steam games in my collection a go: Aliens: Colonial Marines. OK, … Continue reading →

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Thoughts – Shining in the Darkness

Posted on January 4, 2014 by ryan

Originally Released: 1991 (Sega Genesis) Version Played: PC (Steam) Shining in the Darkness is a first-person dungeon crawler that marks the start of the long-running, genre-spanning, Shining series. While the most famous Shining games on the Genesis are the strategy-RPG … Continue reading →

Posted in Shining Force, Shining in the Darkness, Shining Series | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Nickel-A-Play Arcade in Aurora, CO

Posted on January 3, 2014 by ryan

Nickel-A-Play is an arcade about ten minutes outside of Denver, Colorado. You pay a $3.50 entrance fee, then you can play any arcade game (except DDR) for free. It is totally awesome and offers a ton of rad games for … Continue reading →

Posted in AM2, Arcades, Laser Ghost, Stadium Cross, Super GT, The House of the Dead, Top Skater, Toshihiro Nagoshi, Virtual On | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Thoughts – ESWAT: City Under Siege

Posted on January 2, 2014 by ryan

Originally Released: 1990 Version Reviewed: PC (Steam) ESWAT starts innocuously enough: you begin the game playing as a police officer moving through a black and purple cityscape, mowing down thugs with your pistol in proper Rolling Thunder / Shinobi style. … Continue reading →

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