On the TitanCast: Kenji Eno's Legendary D with Derek Alexander of Stop Skeletons From Fighting

 

Greetings Junkies!

The Halloween season is upon us and Stop Skeletons From Fighting's Derek Alexander joins the TitanCast crew for a D-lightful retrospective deep dive into Warp and Kenji Eno's cinematic horror adventure game, D.

Help us wallow in the spooky spirit as we vibe in Kenji Eno’s brain castle!

Now playing on a podcast app near you, including:

(Host site w/ more app links)

Referenced links:

Stop Skeletons from Fighting

SSFF's Patreon, including Stop Skeletons From Podcasting episodes | https://www.patreon.com/StopSkeletonsFromFighting

SSFF's Kenji Eno Past Mortem video | https://youtu.be/i3TrfyNTcB8

SSFF on Twitter | @stopskeletons

Nuno's book via Editorial Divergênci (publisher site)

Book page: Pela Cabeca do Rei Volume

The Virtua Planet (Brian's blog)

Main page | https://thevirtuaplanet.com/

"The Bouncer: Square's Cutscene 'Em Up Sandwich" | 

http://thevirtuaplanet.com/2022/10/04/the-bouncer-squares-cutscene-em-up-sandwich/

TitanCast Episode 29 -- The Yakuza: Like a Dragoncast with Kinsey Burke and KC RadioMan | https://thesaturnjunkyard.blogspot.com/2021/03/yakuzalikeadragoncast.html

Host links

Brian's Twitter (@VirtuaSchlub)

Camron's Instagram (@Tsundain)

Sam's Twitter (@SMylesDrew)

Junkyard links

Saturn Junkyard website/blog

Saturn Junkyard YouTube channel

Saturn Junkyard Twitch channel

SJY Facebook community

SJY Twitter (@SaturnJunkyard)

The Dreamcast Junkyard website/blog (sister site)

The Dreamcast Junkyard's Dreampod podcast

New SJY TitanCast Episode -- Yakuza: Like a Dragoncast w/ Kinsey Burke & KC RadioMan!

Join us for a monumental celebration of SEGA and RGG Studio's Yakuza: Like a Dragon (a.k.a. YakLAD)! In this mega episode of the Saturn Junkyard's TitanCast, Brian and Camron are joined by special guests KC (host of The SEGA Lounge on Radio SEGA) and Kinsey (YouTuber and Producer at Chuhai Labs) for a lively deep dive into the inaugural adventure of Ichiban Kasuga and friends.

Available on podcast sites everywhere, including:

For the first half of this episode, we have a spoiler-free chat about our broader experiences and impressions of LAD as a sequel and entry point, and its merits as both a continuation of and departure from the series' legacy. Later in the episode, things take a turn for the absurd and spoilery as we fawn over Ichiban, reminisce about our hypercapitalist tomfoolery in the business sim mini game, and talk mad shit about certain “supporting” characters.

Whether you already love Yakuza and Like a Dragon or are curious what all the hoopla is about, join us for a fun time, either way!

Games discussed in this episode: Yakuza: Like a Dragon (and not much else)

Panelists (Twitter links):

Kinsey (@KinsZilla)

KC (@KCRadioMan)

Camron (@Tsundain)

Brian (@VirtuaSchlub)

Related Links:

The Sega Lounge podcast site - https://thesegalounge.podbean.com/e/bestofsega2020/

Radio Sega main site - https://www.radiosega.net/

The SEGA Lounge Twitter (@thesegalounge) - https://twitter.com/thesegalounge

Chuhai Labs main site (w/ Discord link) - https://www.chuhailabs.com/

Chuhai Labs Twitter (@ChuhaiLabs) - https://twitter.com/chuhailabs

The Saturn Junkyard blog site - http://thesaturnjunkyard.blogspot.com/

SJY Facebook page & community - https://www.facebook.com/thesaturnjunkyard

SJY YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/c/TheSaturnJunkyard/

SJY Twitter (@SaturnJunkyard) - https://twitter.com/SaturnJunkyard

The Dreamcast Junkyard home page - https://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/

Brian's Shenmue III article on DCJY - https://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/2021/01/LegacyofShenmue3.html

The Saturn HDMI Cable From LevelHike: Impressions & Footage

The box.

Perhaps you’ve noticed the growing number of direct-to-HDMI video cables cropping up for retro consoles recently. This Sega Saturn HDMI cable – from the new retro peripheral manufacturer LevelHike – is one of those.

The pitch is simple: it’s a single, inexpensive HDMI cable that aims to rout a serviceable RGB signal via HDMI as a convenient, no-fuss option for making our retro game consoles look less like dog shit on HDTVs. No more, no less.

Some quick disclaimer stuff: This post includes a rundown of some of my impressions of the LevelHike HDMI cable for the Sega Saturn. They sent us an early version of the cable for free ahead of distributing it and future versions will likely include some revisions. I may update this post with my thoughts based on any revisions later on, as needed. I’ve spent about a dozen hours playing various games with the LevelHike cable so far.

And some product notes: LevelHike’s Saturn cable is available on Amazon (US) and Ebay for $30. Note that LevelHike also makes cables for a variety of other platforms, including the Dreamcast, PSP, Neo Geo AES/CD, and (most interestingly), the Turbografx-16. I haven’t yet tried any of those other ones, though.

Before I get too much further, it’s also important to knock expectations down a few pegs. When it comes to connecting your Sega Saturn to an HDTV, if you’re looking for a video solution that all at once 1) has the convenience of a single, direct-to-HDMI cable, is 2) is cheap (three Alexander Hamiltons or less), and 3) rivals the quality of expensive, higher-end offerings of a (properly shielded) RGB SCART cable via a pricey upscaler like Framemeister/OSSC or an $80 (with Genesis-to-Saturn adapter) HD Retrovision component cable via a $100 RetroTINK device…there just isn’t a $30 HDMI cable that can compete with those higher-end solutions. It’s not a fair comparison. They’re not in the same ballpark, let alone playing the same sport.

As someone who cares more about #1 and #2 and doesn’t generally obsess over having the best possible video output for my retro games, I might be the kind of person these cables are geared toward. Not that great video quality isn’t nice to have but there are diminishing returns after a point. I’ve always subscribed to the idea that the best video option is anything that gets out of the way. As long as the output looks decent enough and isn’t distracting with excessive blur, color loss, or lag – and especially if I don’t have to spend much of time or money on it – sometimes good enough is good enough.

So what about the LevelHike cable? Is it good enough?

Apart from the Engrish text adorning the product’s packaging, I can’t help but be intrigued by the promise it makes as such a simple device. As a no-frills HDMI cable that aims to be cheap, convenient, and good enough, I think it largely succeeds though not without some quirks.

As much as I like my TV, it doesn’t force a 4:3 aspect ratio so I’m SOL when it comes to many retro HDMI cables and SCART-to-HDMI converters. The nifty thing about LevelHike’s cable is it has a switch to force 4:3 in case your TV can’t do the job. Alternatively, you can also set the image to 16:9 for the occasional anamorphic widescreen mode in games like NiGHTS or Panzer Dragoon Zwei. it’s a simple, albeit greatly welcome feature.

The LevelHike box handles conversion duties and is powered via a USB power cable (included). You can see the aspect ratio switch in the top-right of the unit.

Overall, the LevelHike cable’s image quality looks considerably better than I’d expect for its price point. It retains most of the clarity and color of the original RGB signal, without much noticeable input lag. In motion, there is some slight blur and occasional artifacts, which I noticed more in 2D games – and especially shmups like DoDonPachi and Shienryu – which feature constantly-scrolling backgrounds and a bevy of moving sprites and particles. That said, I don’t think these issues are overly distracting and I didn’t notice them as much with the 3D games I tried with it. Is it perfect? No. Does it look as good as the pricier video solutions? No. But it does stay out of the way.

Below is a video compilation of footage from a smattering of games I felt like playing this week. I captured it all with the LevelHike cable and aimed for a variety of genres and number of dimensions. At the very least, this footage should give you an idea of what to expect. Honestly, I feel like it might look slightly better in person than what my Elgato was able to capture but you’ll get the gist.

Capturing all of this footage was actually a lot of fun. I forgot how addicting Kyuutenkai Fantastic Pinball was. I suck at Astal but it sure looks purdy.

There are downsides, to be sure. For several games, I’ve noticed the LevelHike cable shrinks the image to varying degrees depending on the game. You may have noticed it in my footage compilation above. It seems a bit random and I’m wondering if it has to do with the cable struggling to retain divisibility with the original 240p resolution in certain games.

The most nagging flaw is with the cable’s audio. Now, the sound quality itself is solid; I’ve noticed no distortion and the full richness and range of the audio seems in tact. Unfortunately, the LevelHike cable actually swaps the right and left stereo audio channels. This is a more glaring issue in 3D games where directional audio is crucial for reinforcing the player's spatial positioning relative to everything else in the environment. The severity of this ranges. In Sega Rally, it’s only mildly distracting – if even a bit amusing – when careening into a wall elicits a satisfying crunch from the opposite side of the car. However, this issue is compounded in 3D shooters like Power Slave, where I rely on the stereo audio cues to determine which direction enemies are coming from.

Digging into the issue a bit further, it seems this channel-swap issue is likely carried over from an error in the most widely-available Saturn A/V port schematics floating around online. The schematics incorrectly flip their depictions of the audio pins so many would-be cable manufacturers who reference it are also duplicating the error in their own products. I suppose this underscores the importance of the timeless adage: don’t believe everything you read on the internet.

To LevelHike’s credit, they’ve acknowledged the issue and are updating subsequent batches of cables to correct the audio channel issue. If this is a deal breaker for you, I’d recommend waiting a bit. In the meantime, I’ve reverted to playing most games with mono audio, which works fine for now.

And that’s about all I have to say about the LevelHike HDMI cable for now. Given the device’s emphasis on simplicity, convenience and affordability, the video quality is surprising solid, all things considered. Not that it’s an apples-to-apples comparison but I do see the LevelHike as a noticeable step up from similar direct-to-HDMI cables I’ve used on other platforms from established manufacturers like Pound and Hyperkin, which often take a larger hit in color quality and can run noticeably darker or more saturated.

As a simple and affordable solution for connecting your Saturn to an HDTV, I’m mostly impressed by LevelHike’s first Saturn offering and I look forward to seeing how it improves going forward. It’s obviously not in the same league as higher-end video solutions but for what it is, it’s plenty good enough.

Listen to the latest episode of the Junkyard's TitanCast!

Need a Sega-stuffed podcast in your life? Join us for the latest episode of the Saturn Junkyard's TitanCast! Listen to it on iTunes, Google Play, Buzzsprout, and wherever else...

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-saturn-junkyards-titancast/id1320249250?mt=2

Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Irnjy5iegkh5pfj6cdx3gjqnxle

Buzzsprout: http://thesaturnjunkyard.buzzsprout.com

PlayerFM: https://player.fm/series/series-2287282

SEGAMANIA 2018: It's the renaiSEGAsance on the Latest SJY TitanCast

Need something to listen to for your commute? Check out our latest episode of the Saturn Junkyard's TitanCast. Listen to us on iTunes, Buzzsprout, Google Play, and wherever else!

Buzzsprout: http://thesaturnjunkyard.buzzsprout.com

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-saturn-junkyards-titancast/id1320249250?mt=2

PlayFM: https://player.fm/series/series-2287282

In this episode, we step back from the nostalgia and chat about the surprisingly rich slate of recent and upcoming titles from our favorite game maker in 2018! Simon is out today, unfortunately, but Sam, Nuno, and Brian are joined by Mike Phelan from the Dreamcast Junkyard's DreamPod and Patrick Traynor from the Sega Saturn Shiro podcast. 

Dive in with us and revel in this current renaiSEGAsance we're living in! 

Discussed in this episode: Shenmue I & II HD, Yakuza Kiwami 2 and the series at large, Team Sonic Racing, Sonic R, Streets of Rage 4, Fist of the North Star: Lost Paradise, and more!

Killing Pixels: Part Deux and a Half - Now in 4K!

Because HD isn't quite high enough, we're taking the Saturn to new extremes. Revel in the glory of your favourite 3D titles rendered at a mind-boggling 3840x2160 - for comparison, one of the most used resolutions on the Saturn was 352x224).

Now, it isn't all roses. A large portion of the Saturn's Library was made of 2D games, which benefit nothing from an increase in resolution. Of the 3D games available, a large portion has moderate to serious problems running in YabaSanshiro - and many don't run at all - and of those that do, some don't benefit that much. Polygon jittering is a recurring issue, or 2D planes like the ground that don't scale that well and seem out of place.

But then there are models that just look gorgeous. Look at the player characters in Anarchy in the Nippon, Fighters Megamix or Virtual-On, and tell me they don't look straight out of a Dreamcast game.

As always, try it at your own risk. You might surprise yourself ;)

In case you missed the previous entries, check them out:

Part 1: Shaders in Retroarch

Part 2: Saturn Games in HD

Part 3: Widescreen Hacks

Tech Battle: Episode 2 - Sega Rally Championship

 
Episode 2 of our new series, this time with less mishaps and better production values. We've widened our scope from a simple tech comparison to more of a retrospective that also takes into account the gameplay, features and history of the game. Hopefully this will make it more informative and interesting to the viewers.

Of course, we still go very much in-depth into the many differences between versions.

A couple of addenda that didn't make it into the video:

- We talk about an unlockable "secret car" but for the original arcade version this was simply an alternative handling mode for the regular cars. Later on the Saturn port actually added a new car to fit this handling model, the now iconic Lancia Stratos, so many gamers started to retconn the original and refer to that alternative handling as being the Stratos. It is true that the development team stated in interviews that it was their idea to include that 3rd car, which was then cut for time constraints, and the only trace of its existence is that extra handling mode, but back then regular arcade goers didn't know about that.

- We criticise the original Saturn game running at a higher resolution in the emulator YabaSanshiro for the missing polygons in the tracks. The PC version, when running at higher resolutions, seems to suffer from a similar - if less noticeable - problem, so maybe that's not an emulator bug but a quirk of the game engine.

Join our founder Simon (a.k.a. Father Krishna, a.k.a. Father K) as he takes some time to reflect on the Junkyard community, discussing its various goings on, history, events, the "weekly" challenges, and -- most importantly -- you!

Yeah, it gets pretty sappy but thanks for making the Junkyard and greater Sega community what it is!

SJY Let's Play: Virtua Schlub "Races" and Rambles Through Sonic R

In this episode, Virtua Schlub takes a leisurely stroll through the lush islands and dangerously radioactive cities of Sonic R. Join him as he "races" through the game all while discussing its design, features, mechanics, environments, soundtrack, innovations, critiques, divisiveness, and generally pondering its greater place within the Sega Saturn's legacy. Hope you enjoy delightfully cheesy vocal dance pop because we got all of it!

And while we're at it, here's Virtua Schlub's follow-up speed "run" of the Resort Island level with Super Sonic!

Die Hard Arcade VS. Dynamite Cop: A Sega Brawler Grudge Match!

Now playing on the Saturn Junkyard YouTube channel:

Join Virtua Schlub in this hard-hitting Grudge Match episode starring Sega's OTHER iconic beat 'em up games, Die Hard Arcade and Dynamite Cop (a.k.a. Dynamite Deka 1 & 2 in Japan). In this episode, these classic 3D brawlers face off in an action-packed showdown with all of the sumo pirates, killer robots, and frozen tuna beat-downs you can handle!

The Winter Olympics are Heating Up on the Junkyard!

Screw the real Olympics! Experience all of the intense winter sports action with our exclusive virtual coverage!

The slopes are frigid but the competition is blistering hot! Tune in for our exclusive virtual Winter Games coverage presented by the Junkyard Sports Network (JYSN)! Our hosts Brian Schlubowski and SImon Krishnapolis will give you a front-row seat to today's action-packed events, including the Ski Jump, Aerials, and Speed Skiing. The real Olympics are rubbish compared to this and the big networks certainly can't rival our amazing(ly awful) production values! Don't miss it!

Featured game: Winter Heat on the Sega Saturn

Episode 7 - Burning For Burning Rangers

In this week's episode we go full blown book club, or game club if you will. With all the hubbub over Sonic Team's classic over at the Yard, Brian figured it suiting for us to dissect and discuss what made and continues to make this game so great. Tune in and hear what all the fuss is about yourself!

Contributors: 

The SSG - Samuel 

The VirtuaSchlub - Brian 

Father K - Simon 

NebachadnezzaR - Nuno;

Junkyard Let's Play - Panzer Dragoon II Zwei

If you missed the livestream on FB yesterday, join The Southern Sega Gentleman and The Virtua Schlub as they fight through the Empire's Hordes, in the Saturn Masterpiece, Panzer Dragoon Zwei. Special guest Dave and Pat from the Sega Saturn, Shiro! Podcast join in on the action. 

Sunday Let's Play's are streamed ever Sunday at 3pm Central US time / 9pm UK time. Like and follow the official Saturn Junkyard FB page to keep up to date.  

Import Friendly? - Burning Rangers

In this inaugural episode we kick of our new series, Import Friendly?, with the Japanese release of Burning Rangers. The SSG takes a look at just how pick up and playable the Japanese release is for Western speakers, and whether the cost savings are worth it.

Welcome to the Afterburner Afterparty: A Sky Target Review

"I feel the need...the need for speed!"

Another review video has landed on the SJY YouTube channel. This one is for Sky Target, the Sega Saturn reincarnate of Afterburner's classic arcade, fighter jet shooter formula. Can it stay in formation or will it choke on vapor trails? Watch and find out!

Budget Buying Guide Part Two

In this episode of TitanCast we go over each of our "Building A Saturn Library On A Budget" list. The team was tasked to find seven titles, all under $200, that would make a decent beginners library.

Buzzsprout:

http://thesaturnjunkyard.buzzsprout.com/

ITunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-saturn-junkyards-titancast/id1320249250?mt=2

Google Play:

https://play.google.com/music/m/Irnjy5iegkh5pfj6cdx3gjqnxle?t=The_Saturn_Junkyards_Podcast

Killing Pixels Part Deux: Saturn Games in HD

I was about to title this post “Saturn games in 4K”, which would’ve sounded much more impressive, but alas, I don’t own any 2160p monitor to record footage from and didn’t want to sound like a liar, so let’s settle for HD then.

Mind you, 1080p is still a much bigger number than 240p – the Saturn’s original resolution (yeah, some games run in 480i, let’s not go there for the sake of simplicity), and because resolutions are areas and not lines having a number that’s more than 4 times higher means an actual increase in the order of 16x.

SJY on YouTube: Zap! Snowboarding Trix '98 Review

Join us for this in-depth video review as we hit the virtual slopes to see whether Zap! Snowboarding Trix! '98 can shred with the best for Sega Saturn snowboard superiority!

This is a follow up to our previous Grudge Match video, which pitted Steep Slope Sliders against the original Zap! in a battle for king of the Saturn's snowboard mountain!

New Year's MegaCast!

Happy New Year to all of you out there!

In this episode the team members of both The Saturn Junkyard's TitanCast, and Sega Saturn, Shiro! Podcast sit down, break bread, and talk about the Past, Present, and Future of our beloved Sega Saturn. 

You can also find us over at the YouTube Channel, on ITunes, and Google Play!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaI2ihlWw1wlfbaUfLR3bPA
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-saturn-junkyards-titancast/id1320249250?mt=2

   

While your at it, don't forget about the Shiro! Boys:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfTSQ67HNTG7ENRNU_XGFUA
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/sega-saturn-shiro/id1281372055?mt=2

SJY on YouTube: Grudge Match for Sega Saturn Snowboard Supremacy!

For this video, we thought it'd be fun to see what happens when we pit two Saturn snowboarding titles against each other in a one-on-one battle for snowboard superiority. Which will reign as the king of the Saturn slopes? Let's shred the virtual gnar and find out!

Note: I'm very new at this whole video-making thing (I've never made one before this) so forgive the slow, awkward pacing and tangential meandering. I'll be tightening that stuff up in future videos but in the meantime, I also welcome any other feedback you may have.

Cheers!