Tag Archives: sega

#967 – Console Start-Up Screens

17 Mar

No time to waste, it’s story time! I (15 year old me) have just arrived home from a trip to the store with my Dad. I was lucky enough to have him buy me a copy of Pikmin for the Nintendo GameCube. I rip open the plastic packaging and place the disc into the system. I turn on the television and hit the power button on the GameCube. Before I even get into my new game I’m welcomed by a start-up screen that I have seen hundreds of times. And despite the repetition, it makes me smile yet again and gets me hyped for the game.

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The above story is just one example that has happened numerous of times in my lifetime. The console start-up screen is something we take for granted today, but just imagine a video game world where they didn’t exist. Sure, start-up screens are less relevant today as current-gen systems can awake from rest mode in a matter of seconds, but you can’t forget that little piece of entertainment before the game. The sounds, the visuals, the pure ecstasy. The appetizer before the main course one would say.

Of course a post about start-up screens would need a video to showcase what I’m talking about and don’t you fret, I have you covered. Some of these you may know and some of these you may not, just appreciate all the different nuances from system to system. Grab some tissues as the tears of joy prepare to be expelled from your eyes and get ready to be sent down memory lane. Without further ado, here is a compilation of console start-up screens.

AWESOME!

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#973 – Speeding through a Sonic level

4 Mar

According to Sega in the early 90s, Genesis does what Nintendon’t (proper past tense would be, Genesis did what Nintendidn’t, but it doesn’t flow nearly as nice). This statement especially held true for Sega’s famous blue blur, Sonic. He still was very much a typical video game hero like Mario, but the main difference was that his speed was out of this world. If Mario is all about platforming finesse, Sonic is all about zooming through a level and making split-second decisions while doing it. That thrill surely deserves to be acknowledged on this awesome list.

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In today’s day and age the sense of speed seen in an old school Sonic level may not seem like much, but at the time the blast processing really ‘blasted’ our minds (see what my clever brain did there). Speeding through loops, across bridges, upside down, launching in the air with jump pads… all of this was unheard of at that rate. It was frantic and at times it seemed like total mayhem to the untrained eye, but it was tremendous fun and definitely unforgettable. And one can’t forget how beautiful everything looked, the whole thing remained colourful and sharp even at those death defying speeds.

Sonic as a character has not aged well at all as his recent outings have proven. Heck, I nearly hurt myself trying to wrap my brain around releases like Sonic Boom! or when he actually had the hots for a human woman. And who can forget all the lame characters that have been introduced over the years. But the main reason new Sonic fails is because it strays away from the formula that made him popular to begin with, going fast, really really really fast.

AWESOME!

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 #988 – Sega Genesis game cases

2 Nov

Since the dawn of the home video game, boxes or cases were how these games were packed and stored. They are just like humans, coming in all shapes and sizes, big and small. Different materials were used as well (unlike humans), mostly paper and plastic. Cases have evolved and changed over time with less emphasis on them as the digital era takes over. Every period in video game history has it’s own wonderful game cases, but the most awesome has to be the ones for the Sega Genesis.

The beauty of a Sega Genesis (known as the Mega Drive in Europe and some other parts of the world) game case is something to behold. A book shaped hard plastic which meant your game was always protected. Seriously these things were tough, like a bomb shelter for your cartridge. Look at any collector’s collection and more likely than not they have their Genesis games in prestige condition thanks to those miraculous cases.

It’s awesomeness doesn’t end there though, with some other great features about them as well. They fit perfectly on a shelf showcasing the game’s title on the spine for easy storage. Plus some games would do some crazy stuff, like be a totally different colour than the usual red of most games. And some were even crazier, being made of paper much like its competitor at the time, the Super Nintendo. All in all, these things did a lot more than just hold a game until it was ready to be played

I will always hold a special place in my heart for the Sega Genesis, as it was the first home console I owned. But nostalgia or not, you have to agree that those cases are super cool and definitely…

AWESOME!

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