Tales of Console Collecting – Megadrive Game Hunting

Before Covid-19, and the subsequent lockdowns, I visited a few more retro game stores in the UK.  Checking out the retro game shops in Norwich fuelled my desire for building a Megadrive Pal collection.  In this day and age, it’s all too easy buying a game online with a few clicks of the mouse, but there is something I still find quite special about visiting a game shop, finding games I’m interested in and being able to hold the game and inspect it before purchase.

Sore Thumbs – York

This shop felt like an Aladdin’s cave of gaming awesomeness, with an extensive range of games across all formats.  The staff were very friendly and helpful. 

Although Pal systems are the main focus, they also have some Japanese stock.

More expensive games are kept in the glass cabinets.

Some of the cabinets have a specific game series theme, such as Final Fantasy, Mario, Pokémon, Sonic, Zelda etc. which was pretty cool.

There was even one for Godzilla!

It’s always cool to see some SNK systems.

Now this is what we’re here for, an impressive wall of Sega awesomeness with a fantastic selection of Megadrive games.

I picked up quite a few games on my wanted list as well as ones I didn’t know I wanted!

Pick ups

Highlights

Captain America and The Avengers – I remember this scrolling fighter by Data East in the arcades.  Despite being developed by a Japanese team, the Megadrive port never saw a release in Japan.

Comix Zone – I remember this game getting lots of praise in the gaming press, but it somehow passed me by and I’ve never played it.  I’m looking forward to giving it a blast.

Judge Dredd – This is one of those games were the Japanese version is very expensive compared to the Pal version.  I had this cool platform action game on the SNES back in the day.  I enjoyed it, but I remember it being pretty tough and was never able to complete it.  It will be cool having another crack at it and seeing how this version fares.

Sunset Riders – This was never released in Japan and was high on my Pal Megadrive wanted list. 

The Chaos Engine – I’m really looking forward to playing this top-down run-and-gun port of the Amiga game.  Another game which never saw a Japanese release.

I was pleased to pick up this copy of Sonic 3 signed by British artist Duncan Gutteridge.  He was commissioned by Sega Europe in the early 1990’s for various pieces of airbrush artwork, including Sonic 3 European box artwork.

The Game Pad – Scarborough

This shop was a cool find with a nice selection of titles.

There was a good selection of Sega.

As I was checking out the Sega section, the owner informed me that he’d just got a new bundle of Megadrive titles in and hadn’t had a chance to go through them / price them up.  He retrieved a massive box from behind the counter, opened it up and started pulling out and handing me the games. 

There were some really nice titles in the bundle.  Some of the cases had the odd cobweb attached, but they were mostly complete and in great condition.  In fact some of them looked almost brand new.  The previous owner had certainly looked after his games.  I left a note of the titles I was interested in, and a bit later he sent me a list of prices.  A deal was made, and a couple of days later I went back to buy them.

Pick ups

Highlights

Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist – Another fantastic side scrolling beat-em-up and Megadrive favourite.  The Japanese version has a different name, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return of the Shredder.

Splatterhouse II – Another game high on my Pal wants list!  I love the series and already own the Japanese version.  I really wanted this for the awesome cover art, which is completely different to the Japanese release.

Strider II – I’ve never played this U.S. Gold developed sequel, but I’ve heard it’s poor.  However it’s in great condition, and I’m looking forward to giving it a go.  It was never released in Japan.

Alien³ – I had this on the Super Nintendo back in the day, an awesome and pretty atmospheric game, with a slight Metroid vibe.  I really must go back and try to finish it sometime.  I’ve never played this version before, which was made by a different developer and is a completely different game.  I’ve read reviews and opinions seem divided as to which version is the best.  It seems that the Megadrive version has less exploration and adopts a more arcade like approach.  Interestingly the game was released on the Master System, Game Gear and Megadrive on these shores, but the Game Gear was the only Sega console it was released on in Japan.

This was another highlight.

Scarborough does awesome fish n chips!  This was at Winkin Willy’s famous fish n chips shop.

We also checked out the seafront arcades.

The arcades had a good selection of the latest games.

Sadly I think the days of finding dusty Jamma cabs at the back of seaside arcades are gone.   However we did see a tidy looking Space Invaders / Qix Silver Anniversary Edition. 

There was also a Daytona USA twin, but only one side was working, and the less said about the LCD conversion the better!

With Sonic’s approval, we set off to find more Megadrive games.

Lees Games - Morecambe

I visited this shop a couple of years ago and was really looking forward to returning.  There’s a fantastic selection of games, and the owner is really knowledgeable and great to chat to.

Pick ups

Highlights

Rock n’ Roll Racing – Another title I’ve never played, but I remember it scoring highly.  It was never released in Japan.

Streets of Rage II – One of my favourite games ever, and a game I had back in the day.

Sega Megadrive Mini – Well it had to be done!  It’s worth it for Darius and Tetris alone, both of which are new ports.

Morecambe Games

Located in the indoor Festival Market, this stall has a cool selection of games, both retro and modern. 

I’ll be back to going on more Raids and Megadrive game hunting once this horrible virus blows over and the world gets back to some sort of normality.  In the meantime, stay safe and happy gaming!