Pickups August 2020

Tiger Electronics Sonic the Hedgehog 3 Electronic LCD Video Game

“Just imagine going back in time Gamers who are die-hard fans into retro tech, or are new to this genre, will love this Tiger Electronics Sonic the Hedgehog 3 electronic LCD video game, inspired by the original from the 1990s. It’s an exciting adventure as players try to defeat Dr. Eggman in all 6 stages to win the game. The design and technology were created with the original handheld game unit in mind. Look for other retro-inspired Tiger Electronics LCD video games”.
I had loads of these as a kid, in fact, you can see me playing one in the photo on the homepage of this very website. I may have even had the original version of this as a kid. They were / are terrible but hey, it’s a nice nostalgia hit.
Price Paid – £0.00 (Birthday Gift)

688 Attack Sub : Simulator Series – Sega Mega Drive

688 Attack Sub : Simulator Series was released in 1991 on the Mega Drive. You take command of a US Los Angeles-class or Soviet Alfa-class nuclear-powered attack submarine and plays ten missions ranging from into either Cold War scenarios or combat missions in a hypothetical global conflict. The player can use (sonar, weapons, navigation, helm, radio and periscope) but most duties can be delegated to crew members. The graphics are mostly close-up views of the control panels but in some occasions they feature digitised images of surface ships and crew.
Not really a fan of simulation games so I cant see myself putting in a whole lot of time with this game.
Price Paid – £4.00 (Cash Converters)

M1 Abrams Battle Tank : Simulator Series – Sega Mega Drive

M1 Abrams Battle Tank was originally an MS-DOS game and was ported to the Mega Drive in 1991. The game is a 3D vehicle simulation of the very real M1 Abrams tank. Although the game is advertised as a simulation, gameplay is not actually very realistic; the missions are arcade game-like with a fixed sequence of actions to perform.
Price Paid – £9.60 (Cash Converters)

Starflight – Sega Mega Drive

Starflight is a space exploration, combat, and trading role-playing video game and was originally developed for IBM PC and was A fully revamped when the game was released for the Mega Drive in 1991.
Set in the year 4620, the game puts players in the role of a starship captain sent to explore the galaxy. There is no set path, allowing players to switch freely between mining, ship-to-ship combat, and alien diplomacy. The broader plot of the game emerges slowly, as the player discovers that an ancient race of beings is causing stars to flare and destroy all living creatures.
Price Paid – £4.00 (Cash Converters)

Buck Rogers : Countdown to Doomsday – Sega Mega Drive

Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday is a role-playing game released in 1990. As this is the science-fiction world of Buck Rogers, elves and dwarves, usually found in usual RPG games, are switched out for Desert Runners and Tinkers, and instead of being a knight or a mage, you get to be a rocket jock or a medic.
players create a squad of six characters from a choice of five classes all with different stats and skills (Rocketjock, Warrior, Medic, Rogue, and Engineer) and six races (Human, Desert Runner, Tinker, Venusian, Martian, and Mercurian).
Turn-based strategy is the name of the game, here. You take control of each of your characters and sometimes a few NPCs or soldiers and move them around, one at a time, pretty standard for an RPG game.
Price Paid – £9.80 (Cash Converters)

Blaze Atari Retro Handheld Console

The Atari ‘Retro’ Handheld features the immortalised “wood” effect, TV output and includes a spectacular collection of classic titles including Asteroids, Pong, Centipede, Missile Command, Breakout, Millipede and more.
This retro handheld takes its design inspiration straight from the iconic Atari 2600 console. Complete with classic Atari wood effect, bold orange controls and crisp white fonts. Well this console certainly looks better than it feels, the horrible plastic it is made from make this feel like a piece of cheap tat. The screen, while not of bad quality at all, is very small and difficult to see comfortably. This is yet another nail in the coffin of this once great company.
Price Paid – £0.00 (Birthday Gift)

PGA European Tour – Nintendo Game Boy

This standard golf game features 5 courses from across Europe, and 60 top European pros. The game controls using the standard three-click method used in most golf games, but you can now define intended draw/fade levels in advance of playing the shot, so that a perfect aim leads to a measured effect, and an imperfect one exaggerating the effect.
Price Paid – £1.20 (Cash Converters)

Paperboy – Nintendo Game Boy

Paperboy started as an arcade game and was ported to the Gameboy in 1990. The player takes the role of a paperboy who delivers a fictional newspaper called “The Daily Sun” along a suburban street on his bicycle. The player attempts to deliver a week of daily newspapers to subscribing customers, attempts to vandalise non-subscribers’ homes and must avoid hazards along the street. Subscribers are lost by missing a delivery or damaging a subscriber’s house.
I’ve played Paperboy a handful of times in my life and I’ve always found it difficult and as such never gave each play through a great deal of time.
Price Paid – £4.00 (Cash Converters)

Looney Tunes – Nintendo Game Boy

Looney Tunes is a platform game released for Game Boy in 1992. The game features Daffy Duck, Tweety, Porky Pig, Taz, Speedy Gonzales, the Road Runner and Bugs Bunny as playable characters. Other Looney Tunes characters include Elmer Fudd, Marvin the Martian, Wile E. Coyote and Sylvester. There are 7 levels in total each starring a different Looney Tunes character that the player can control. They each have their own special ability. At the end of every level except 2 and 4, a boss must be beaten in order to progress to the next one.
Price Paid – £1.20 (Cash Converters)

Anbernic RG-350 Handheld Game Console

The RetroGame RG-350 is a handheld console running a Linux based OS with many emulators built-in with compatibility for the Game Boy, Game Boy Colour, Game Boy Advance, MAME, NES, SNES, Genesis, Neo Geo, PS1 and more.
The screen is 3.5″ IPS Color Glass Panel running at just 320×240 and the device itself has 16GB of onboard storage and this is upgradeable via microSD.
For controls, this features a digital D-Pad, dual analogue controls, four front-facing game buttons, Start & Select, and four shoulder buttons. This means you can enjoy both older handhelds such as Gameboy, and newer consoles such as the PlayStation with any control method.
The console feels really well made from the outside at least (more on that in a sec), the buttons are very responsive and the analog sticks feel great with just the right amount of motion.
The included operating system is ugly and often times confusing, but luckily there are custom launchers one can install to make the experience that little bit better. I am currently using the ‘Simple Menu’ frontend and plan to install and use ‘Emulationstation’ as soon as I have the time.
I purchaced this console used and when it arrived, the volume rocker was broken off the motherboard, so I had to put my terrible soldering skills to the test and soldered it back on, I then added a lump of hot glue behind the buttons to just give them a bit of support so it wouldn’t happen again.
I could have just loaded the SD card with the thousands of roms it could play but my reasoning for getting this console was that I wanted a back-lit handheld for playing all the handheld console games.
Price Paid – £60.00 (Cash Converters Online)

1 – 2 – Switch – Nintendo Switch

1-2-Switch is a party game released by Nintendo as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch, although was not a pack-in title which I think is madness.
The game extensively uses the system’s Joy-Con controllers, players compete in 28 different minigames, most of which involve two players, who each use one of the Joy-Con controllers and are often encouraged to look at each other during gameplay. The 28 mini-games are all different and include:

Quick Draw
Samurai Training
Table Tennis
Baseball
Fake Draw
Milk
Shaver
Price Paid – £20.00 (Cash Converters Online)

Lego Worlds – Nintendo Switch

Lego Worlds is a Lego-themed sandbox game and was released in 2017 on the Switch. The game allows players to build constructions in a 3D procedurally generated world. The player is rewarded for collecting objects spread across the map with “studs”, an in-game currency. The player can build using the items they have encountered. Players can create their own world by using predefined Lego structures or using the “brick-by-brick editor tool”. Players’ appearances and outfits are customisation in the game. Terrain and environment can be modified via landscaping tools. A variety of vehicles, such as helicopters, and creatures are featured in the game. A multiplayer option and features for world-sharing have been added to the game through later updates.
Price Paid – £20.00 (Cash Converters Online)

Sonic Forces – Nintendo Switch

Sonic Forces was released for the Switch in 2017. Sonic Forces is an action-adventure platform game similar in gameplay and style to prior Sonic the Hedgehog games. The player’s goal is to defeat Doctor Eggman and his robot army. The game features four playable characters: two variants of Sonic the Hedgehog (“Classic” and “Modern”), Shadow the Hedgehog, and the “Avatar” (the player’s custom character). The game is split into several themed levels, some of which are based on locations from past games, such as Green Hill Zone. Players must complete each level while fighting waves of enemies, and (with the exception of Classic Sonic) seamlessly shift from side-scrolling to third-person perspectives. Stages are filled with features such as spring boards, rails, and boost pads, and obstacles such as spikes, bottomless pits, and robots. Scattered around levels are golden rings, which serve as a form of health: rings protect players from damage caused by robots or other hazards, though they lose their rings upon being hit; being hit with no rings kills the player. The game does not use a traditional life system, instead deducting from the player’s score depending on the number of deaths.
Price Paid – £8.00 (eBay)

Various Edge Magazines

I recently acquired a good few Edge magazines ranging from 1995-2006.
Edge Magazine was launched in October 1993.
Each issue includes a “Making-of” article on a particular game, usually including an interview with one of the original developers. Issue 143 introduced the “Time Extend” series of retrospective articles. Like the “making-of” series, each focuses on a single game and, with the benefit of hindsight, gives an in-depth examination of its most interesting or innovative attributes.
It is really interesting going through these magazines, I enjoy reading what was said about the games I love both pre and post release. Coming from my design background, it is also interesting to see the how the design of the magazines change with the design trends common in print media at the time of release (including a very risque job advertisement that certainly wouldn’t be allowed today).
Price Paid – £30.00 (Cash Converters)

Lemmings & Oh No More Lemmings – Sony Playstation

Lemmings & Oh No More Lemmings is essentially an expansion pack for Lemmings, originally released for various computer systems in 1991, featuring new levels, graphics, music, difficulties. This port contains two complete games from the classic puzzle series. There are 209 levels to work through, all featuring the classic Lemmings formula: the player must assign roles (digger, climber, etc.) to marching Lemmings in order to prevent them from meeting terrible fates.
Price Paid – £4.00 (Cash Converters)

Sinclair ZX Spectrum Logo Mug

What else is there to say? it’s a mug with the the rubber keys of the ZX Spectrum 48k printed on it. The print on the outside is bright and clear.
Price Paid – £0.00 (Birthday Gift)

Castle Of Illusion: Starring Mickey Mouse – Sega Master System

The game was released in 1991 and follows Mickey Mouse on a quest to save Minnie Mouse from the evil witch Mizrabel. It was the first game in Sega’s long-running Illusion video game series. This is an 8-bit counterpart to the Sega Mega Drive game of the same name, which although shares the same story and basic design concepts, has differing levels and gameplay mechanics.
Price Paid – £0.00 (Birthday Gift)

Golden Axe – Sega Master System

This game is a port of the Sega Mega Drive version, which, in turn is a port of the arcade original which was released in the arcades in 1989. The game was the first in the long-running Golden Axe series. It is said to be heavily inspired by the Conan the Barbarian films. The Sega Master System version is one-player only, forcing you to play as Ax Battler, who is hell bent on revenge against the vile dictator Death Adder who has taken over the once peaceful land of Yuria. Progress is made through the game by hacking and slashing your way through Adder’s forces. Aiding you in this quest is your ability to cast spells that hurt all enemies on the screen. The force of this magic depends on the number of “bars” of magic power currently available. The bars are filled by collecting blue ‘magic potions’ found throughout the game.
I haven’t played this port of the game before, but I love the Mega Drive version and have completed it many times.
Price Paid – £0.00 (Birthday Gift)

Sonic The Hedgehog – Sega Master System

Sonic the Hedgehog is a 1991 side-scrolling platform game and companion to the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive game. As the anthropomorphic hedgehog Sonic, the player must race through levels to rescue the imprisoned animals Doctor Robotnik plots to turn into robots. Gameplay is the same as the Mega Drive game, Sonic collects rings while avoiding obstacles. This version of the game is paced slightly slower than the 16-bit version as this game focuses more on exploration.
I got this game as part of my Top 10 Quest, I was very surprised when I realised that I didn’t have this game already.
Price Paid – £11.00 (eBay)

Sega Dreamcast Mini Wireless Phone Charger

“Take phone charging to the next level with this awesome Dreamcast wireless phone charger. See your old console under a whole new light and once again own a piece of gaming history with this detailed replica that feels like a real blast from the past”. This is a fantastic little item, as soon as I saw it advertised I just had to have it. I will never use it as a charger as it’s a bit naff but I love it. I wish it felt a little nicer and the buttons were at least pressable but you can’t have everything I guess. Sega actually have another 2 of these available, one that looks like a Mega Drive, and one that looks like the Saturn. When the price goes down a little, I think I’d like to get another one and stick a Raspberry Pi in there and make it into the Dreamcast Mini we never got.
Price Paid – £0.00 (Birthday Gift)

Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 – Original Xbox

Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 is a 2004 skateboarding video game. The game play 2 is similar to that of previous Tony Hawk games: the player skates around in a 3D environment and attempts to complete various goals. Most goals involve skating on or over various objects or performing combos. Scores are calculated by adding the sum of the point value of each trick strung together in a combo and then multiplying by the number of tricks in the combo.
Price Paid – £0.80 (Cash Converters)

Star Wars: Battlefront – Original Xbox

Star Wars: Battlefront was released on September 21, 2004 and is a first and third-person shooter video game based on the Star Wars film franchise. it is the first game in the Star Wars: Battlefront series. Gameplay in Battlefront is conquest-based. Each faction has a finite amount of reinforcements, and each is given control of a set number of command posts in a given level. The object is to either eliminate enemy forces or capture and hold all command posts simultaneously for 20 seconds. Several ground and air vehicles are available on the battlefield. These range from the hulking AT-AT to the fast speeder bike and vary based on the level.
Price Paid – £0.80 (Cash Converters)

Counter Strike – Original Xbox

Counter-Strike is a first-person shooter and was released in 2003. It is the first instalment of the series released on consoles. In the game, teams of terrorists battle to perpetrate an act of terror (bombing, hostage-taking, assassination) while counter-terrorists try to prevent it (bomb defusal, hostage rescue) At the end of each round, players are rewarded based on their individual performance with in-game currency to spend on more powerful weapons in subsequent rounds. Winning rounds results in more money than losing, and completing objectives such as killing enemy players gives cash bonuses. Uncooperative actions, such as killing teammates, results in a penalty.
I got this game as part of my Top 10 Quest
Price Paid – £0.80 (Cash Converters)

Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition – Playstation 3

Dragon Age: Origins is a role-playing game and was released for PlayStation 3 in 2009. Set in the fictional kingdom of Ferelden during a period of civil strife, the game puts the player in the role of a warrior, mage, or rogue coming from an elven, human, or dwarven background. The player character is recruited into the Grey Wardens, an ancient order that stands against bestial forces known as “Darkspawn”, and is tasked with defeating the Archdemon that commands them and ending their invasion. The game is played from a third-person perspective that can be shifted to a top-down perspective. Throughout the game, players encounter various companions, who play major roles in the game’s plot and gameplay.
Price Paid – £5.00 (eBay)

World War Z – Playstation 4

World War Z is a third-person shooter video game released on the PlayStation 4 in 2019, and will be released for Nintendo Switch at an unspecified date in the future. Loosely based on the 2006 book of the same name, and set in the same universe as the 2013 film adaptation, the game follows groups of survivors of a zombie apocalypse in the cities of Moscow, New York, Jerusalem, Tokyo, and Marseille.
The game is a cooperative third-person shooter in which four players fight against massive hordes of zombies. Players can choose from six classes and new perks and weapons can be unlocked for each of the classes as players progress in the game. The game can support up to 1,000 enemies appearing on-screen simultaneously, and they can climb onto each other to reach players on a higher level. Players can collect different items in the battlefield, but their locations are procedurally generated. In addition to fighting zombies, players also need to complete different objectives, such as escorting survivors, in each location.
Price Paid – £11.50 (eBay)

Soul Calibur II – Sony Playstation 2

Soulcalibur II is a fighting game and is the third installment in the Soul series. Soul Calibur is the name of the holy sword, created to battle the evil sword Soul Edge, which the games’ story line revolves around. Compared to Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur II boasts improved graphics and introduces new characters, stages, and music. It is also the first game in the series to include guest characters from other series. It is the beginning of 1590 A.D. Trilogy storyline.
Price Paid – £0.80 (Cash Converters)

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin

Hitman 2: Silent Assassin is a stealth video game and was released in 2002 for the PlayStation 2. It is the second installment in the Hitman video game series and the sequel to Hitman: Codename 47.
Hitman 2 features mission-based gameplay, from a third-person perspective, which can optionally be switched to a first-person view. On each level, the main character, a contract killer named Agent 47, is given a set of objectives to complete. Most levels require the assassination of one or more people. The way through which the missions are to be completed is up to the player, and there are often a variety of ways to complete missions. Instead of taking an action-oriented, aggressive approach, one can also set traps, like poisoning a drink, to terminate the target in silence. Some missions have assassination possibilities unique to the level.
Price Paid – £1.20 (Cash Converters)

Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48 K Wallet

“Trifold Wallet depicting the keyboard of the iconic ZX Spectrum. Show your appreciation for the classic computer with this high quality waxed PVC wallet. With inner compartments, photo window and a zipped pocket.”
This wallet is of quite nice quality and has everything I need in a wallet (namely a place for my cards, and a zip for my change). The only thing I did not like about this, was that there was a massive logo of the gift company that sold it. So I had to unpick the stitching and remove it and now I am left with the holes from the thread.
Price Paid – £0.00 (Birthday Gift)

Various Arcade Boards

Please see separate post about these here
Price Paid – £64.00 (Cash Converters)