On The End Of A Quill

On The End Of A Quill

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Chrono Trigger Super Famicom Guidebook

I recently picked up this Chrono Trigger Guidebook for the Super Famicom on one of my wanders around some Japanese bookstores. It was released in 1995 and is 136 pages long, with a few bonus pages at the back that give away the ending. It starts out with a cool little comic that explains the intro to the game. It has plenty of maps and seems to show every inch of the game! (I have only completed the game on the DS, plus my memory could also be a bit fuzzy...)
There is some great artwork within its pages too. So let's take a look.
Apologies for my crappy camera!

















 I'm not going to caption these pics because Blogger just makes them jump around all over the place and it never looks how I want it to. But you should know all the main characters from the game anyways; Crono, Marle, Lucca, Frog, Robo and Ayla.
Yes Blogger is a pain to upload pics to, and some just kept coming out sideways?!!? but I have more from this book (plus many other wonderful things!) on my Twitter @GarryIrwin

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Shining Force 1 & 2 GameGear Trading Cards Full Set

At the tail end of 1992 in Japan, we saw the release of Shining Force Gaiden on the SEGA GameGear. Then just six months later a sequel was released, again only in Japan. The second game did make it to North America the following year as Shining Force: The Sword of Hajya, while both games were later bundled together as Shining Force CD for the Mega CD in Europe.

What also did not make it out of Japan, was the 56 card set of trading cards that was released at the same time as the games. This set covered the main characters in both games. The sequel followed directly on from the first game, being set only months after the conclusion of the first. Though both games were set years after the events of the first Shining Force on the MegaDrive, yet in the same place Guardiana.
Let's take a look at the complete set of cards.





Shining Force II


A closer look at some of the character artwork



There are 5 of these shiny shining cards in all!


The rear of the cards, unfortunately I can't read Japanese!

 The Shining series of games should really be up there with the Fire Emblems of the world, but unfortunately SEGA seem to keep wanting to release average 'Shining' themed games these days and the series kind of stopped being relevant after Shining Force III on the Saturn.

Monday, May 26, 2014

Congo The Movie Sticker Album


 Here we take a look at Congo: The Movie sticker album from Panini, which was released to tie in with the film in 1995. I went to see this movie in the cinema when it came out and thought it was great. It is still one of my favourite movies. I know it didn't get a good response from critics, but I thought it was a good adventure yarn set in the wilds of the African jungles, something you don't see a lot of in movies these days. It also had a number of good actors in the cast, while Tim Curry hams it up good and proper as the villain, though villain is too strong a word for his character really.
The screenplay was adapted from a Michael Crichton novel of the same name, so I think people were expecting a special effects extravaganza along the lines of Jurassic Park.
I never completed the album unfortunately (anyone got any spare stickers?). They don't really make sticker books for movies like this anymore. These days it seems to only be animated or comic book movies which get collections.
It's always nice to get sticker No.1

Spoiler* Bruce Campbell doesn't last long in the movie, but he gets a lot of stickers!

Only 168 stickers in the book, but I never completed it.

I was never too sure about Tim Curry's Romanian accent, I was convinced he couldn't be trusted!
A close up of the Killer Ape!
 There was a 4-page fold out poster in the centre of the album which held a number of stickers. I'm afraid the minute it was completed it was taken out from the centre pages, probably to be stuck to a wall or a door somewhere. Either way, now I have no idea where it is!
I also bought this film on VHS tape when it came out and I'm sure I have it on DVD laying around the house here somewhere too.
On top of this I also got my hands on the Congo videogame for the SEGA Saturn. It was only released in America I believe. It is a rather good Doom-type game, if you like those sort of games (which I do).

The trek to find King Solomon's Mines will be hard and dangerous.


What's worse than killer apes? Missing one sticker to finish a page!

Tim Curry's Herkermer Homolka just wants those diamonds!

 
Ernie Hudson is great as guide Munroe Kelly.

Last page, and they escape the volcano in a balloon.

The Back Cover, and the album only cost 60p!

Thursday, February 27, 2014

Sega Hot Wheels Cars and GamePro Action Figures

Back in 2003 Sega came together with Hot Wheels and released a set of 5 cars that tied in with Sega games which were popular at the time. I have three of them; the two that are missing from the set are to do with the games, Space Channel 5 and Super Monkey Ball.

3 of the 5 Sega Hot Wheels cars

The House of the Dead green and black Phaeton (which Blogger has flipped upside down?)

 
Jet Set Radio Future in a nice yellow paint job and clear hood

A close up of the Shinobi Lotus Esprit
Around the same time GamePro magazine was involved with Joyride for a line of toys (though the box says they are for display purposes only!) that included characters from some popular games. A number of Sega titles got their own figures, as well as some games from EA. I did have Cel Damage on PS2, but I didn't think it was a great game. There was quite a number of action figures released, for games including Metroid and Zelda, and some of them are rather tough to get your hands on. Here are some pictures of the four sets I have.

Violet and Sinder from Cel Damage

Crazy Taxi with driver Axel and some passengers

Two Monkey Ball figures and the ball to roll them in. Hours of fun!


Super Monkey Ball on the Gamecube is a really fun addictive game

SSX Tricky from EA had figures to collect too
A fold out in the box gives you a review of the game, ooooh Crazy Taxi gets a 4.5

Some Sonic and Virtua Fighter figures to collect (blame Blogger for the pics being sideways!)
 
GamePro seem to give everything a score of 4.5!

The cards included in the package

The cards have Cheat Codes and Hints on the back