Jeremy Parish

NES Works 148: Alien Syndrome & Vindicators

You know, it's strange. I had it in my head as a kid that unlicensed NES games were generally pretty terrible. I guess I really bought into Nintendo's corporate messaging after reading all those Nintendo Powers. However, that's not really been the case so far. Neither Alien Syndrome nor Vindicators belongs in the pantheon of NES all-timers, but they're pretty good. Frankly, at this point, Tengen has an infinitely better track record than, say, Seta.

Sorry, Te...

CORRECTED: NES Works 147 (After Burner)

I have a few frustrating blind spots in my mental catalogue of video game history—things that have cemented themselves as fact in my brain despite being completely wrong. That includes the relationship that Tengen had to Atari's post-crash entities: it was a division of Atari Games, not Atari Inc. Usually these goofs are minor enough that I let them slide in publication and vow to get them right next time (which I usually forget to do). In the case of the most recent NES Works, though, I go...

NES Works 147: After Burner

Sega? On my Nintendo?! It's more likely than you think.

Yes, long before Sega became a third-party publisher for GameCube, the company put a few of its hottest arcade titles on NES. Well, Sega didn't. Mostly it was Sunsoft, via Tengen. And since Tengen was involved, you probably only saw these adaptations at mom-and-pop retail and local, non-chain rental shops, like the dusty VHS rental section of your regular grocery store.

Nevertheless, we're talking 8-bit Sega games, and these ...

Segaiden 86: Cloud Master & Wanted

Here's something of a first for this project: the first time my chronological journey through American game systems has reached the point where an older system is supplanted by a new one from the same manufacturer. Sure, I've looked at the launches for Super NES, N64, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance (and Virtual Boy, I guess), but not in proper chronological sequence. I regrettably skipped ahead on all of those. But here on Segaiden, the SG-1000/Mark III/Master System has finall...

Segaiden 86: Montezuma's Revenge & King's Quest

Well, this one takes me back. I covered Montezuma's Revenge a long, long time ago as a primal metroidvania game. And now, here we are again. Covering it as a... well, not primal. I'm not sure what kind of Master System release it is. A weird one, since it wasn't published by Sega. And there weren't a lot of those!

As for King's Quest, I'm afraid I've never really clicked with graphical adventures like this, so its charms are lost on me. Sorry, Roberta Williams. I'm sur...

Segaiden 85: Altered Beast

This is not the version of Altered Beast that millions of Genesis owners played. This is the other Sega-published port of Altered Beast, which was played by tens of thousands of Master System owners who desperately longed to be Genesis owners. Altered Beast on Master Beast sure is a thing. Not a good thing. But a remarkable one. And, if nothing else, it's inspired one of the quippiest, fasted-paced videos I've ever produced, so I appreciate it for that.

Segaiden 84: Vigilante & Alex Kidd: High Tech World

I've become aware of a curious dynamic with the Master System library. When I embarked upon this phase of Segaiden, my intent was to give Sega's 8-bit system a fair shake, approaching it with the some critical-but-fair mindset as I took with the NES (and would later use for Atari and INTV's releases from the same period). And for the most part, I think I've done a pretty decent job of adhering to that philosophy!

But I am finding it more and more difficult to find positive things to sa...

Super NES Works #30: Wanderers from Ys III

Super NES Works is back?! Eh, sorry, not really. This is one of the last few remaining patron-request episodes I had on my production docket from the days when I took patron requests, and I've been holding on to it until after I completed Ys (Y's) for Master System. Sorry that it took so long, Peter LaPrade!! The journey through the Master System library has been... circuitous.

But you know, my Super NES Works branding revamp turned out so well that I kinda want to mak...

Segaiden 83: Time Soldiers & Ys

I've been holding on to the Master System version of Ys as a treat for a rainy day. By which I mean as a sort of palette-cleanser after surviving a succession of extremely unpleasant games. Though, as it happens, today is pretty rainy here.

So, apologies for all the duff games that we've had to sit through (including this episode's lead feature, Time Soldiers). Ys is good and worthwhile.

Next week: a fun surprise!

Segaiden 82: ALF

Hmm, yeah. ALF. It was bound to happen eventually.

There's not actually all THAT much to say about this game, and it's not like Sega based it on a classic media property that I love deeply. No, the majority of running time for this episode is more of a John the Baptist-style preparing the way for the Sega Genesis, since that console launch looms on the horizon and has a weird relationship with ALF.

Man. ALF.

Segaiden.com

Recent events (for example, chilling-effect legal attacks on the Internet Archive/the fascistic enshittification of the social media platforms that I used as my primary means of self-promotion/the continued heat death of games journalism) have prompted me to prioritize getting back into the habit of making websites of my own again. I don't have time for fresh, original blogging at the moment, but I can at least get my video companion sites back into gear. So, I've started the process with 2025-05-05 12:44:40 +0000 UTC View Post

Segaiden 82: Rastan & California Games

You know, I remembered Rastan being pretty good on Master System, but putting together brought the memories all rushing back. It is, in fact, not especially good. It feels like Sega's answer to the NES version of Strider. Yes, I know, Strider also showed up on Master System. But that was the cool arcade Strider, not the janky, ambitious, and (again) janky NES game. Rastan on Master System captures that cartridge's unique ability to make yo...

Segaiden Special #2: The History of Shinobi

Something a bit different this week, but not actually different in terms of tone or focus. It's more an administrative difference, because this is a rare piece of Sponsored Content. I get a lot of content sponsorship offers—a few a week, usually—but nothing that seems like a natural fit for my channel and my style. But for once, I got an offer I really couldn't refuse. It's not every day that Sega comes to you and says, "We dig your Sega retrospective series. Can we commission on...

Segaiden 80: Poseidon Wars 3-D & Lord of the Sword

You can tell I've been a little off my game lately while trying to get life back on track after its recent succession of crises and commitments. I forgot to wear my Sega 3-D Glasses for this sendoff to the tech! I guess I'll just have to go as the Power Blade guy for Halloween to get a little last use out of them.

Meanwhile, i have to say that needing to play through Lord of the Sword left me with the sensation that all those personal crises aren't over quite yet. It's...

NES Works Recap #2: The Worst NES Games of 1985-87

So here's the thing: The early NES library has a lot more good than bad in it. Where I struggled pretty hard to whittle down the best-of list a few weeks back to a mere 10 (-ish) titles, the lower (errr, upper?) ranks of this list drift very nearly into "ehhh it's OK, I guess" territory. I also tried to avoid bagging too hard on any one studio (coughmicronicscough) and give credit where it's due to even the folks responsible for games I hate. It's a kinder, gentler sort of worst...

Segaiden 079: Rampage & Reggie Jackson Baseball

Whew, I managed to get my production schedule back on track... well, mostly. Normally I produce videos on weekends, but the editing on this one happened last night after work. Thankfully it was an easy lift. Who doesn't love talking about Rampage? Or Reggie Jackson? In fact, Reggie Jackson Baseball is my favorite kind of sports game: the one with an exhibition mode where I can let the computer play itself while I let my capture device run and focus on things I find more...

Segaiden 78: Cyborg Hunter

Whew, I finally had time to edit together the latest episode. Merry... something? Sorry to keep you waiting.

Quick note on this week's post

Hey all, I'm still running way behind on, basically, everything at the moment... actually, it's piling up and getting worse! The good news is that things will return to normal after next weekend, once I'm back from Midwest Gaming Classic*. For the moment, I'm focusing on writing a month's worth of scripts so that I can take a more assembly-line approach to production and get back to my usual schedule once I'm back from MGC. I'm halfway done with the third script in my pile, so it's going OK! ...

NES Era preorders open through March 30

I should have mentioned this here sooner! But I am mentioning it now! All three of The NES Era books are available for short second round of preorders, individually, in case you missed them the first time around.

Also, patrons who have signed up at the various book tiers can expect to see digital files... very soon.

March bonus #3: The King of Fighters ’97

This week's bonus is another VHS rip, this time a Gamest Video showcase of The King of Fighters ’97 (you may recognize some of this material from my King of Fighters R-1 episode last month). This tape starts a little rough, with a lot of distortion and tracking errors in the first 10 minutes, but it clears up afterwards. Since this is a 100-minute tape, that's a pretty decent ratio of clean footage.

NES Recap: The Best of 1985-87

Don't look at the tags for this episode, you'll spoil the countdown for yourself.

Yes, in order to bring NES Works and Segaiden into parity, I have created... a top 10 countdown. This one focuses on the NES library from 1985-87. I had intended to make this a recap of the entire NES library from 1985 through "peak NES" (August 1989), but there is just no way to give credit to all the greats in the library for that period with a mere top 10 countdown. And a top 20 would be verging on an h...

Running late this week

Hi all, just letting you know that this week's video will be a few days late, and that'll probably be the case into next month. I am currently in the process of finishing up the NES Era books (which you'll be seeing soon, if you support this Patreon at the appropriate level) while also driving my wife to and from a daily medical appointment whose sessions will be wrapping at the beginning of the month as well. So, my video production time has been a bit constrained. It doesn't help that I ran...

March bonus #2: Misplaced Childhood [airplay banded vinyl rip, Side B]

As promised, the second side of the more-or-less lost-media version of this 40-year-old album. I can't promise that anything on here is a good listen, since the album was meant to be listened to as a continuous interrupted whole! Nevertheless... it existed.