They said no.

Random weekend-end recap.

1up has an article called Sega Saturn: the Pleasure and the Pain up, it’s nothing new really, but it did spark a little nostalgia for me. I still like the Saturn’s design, it’s all square and bulky. If Nintendo had created it, maybe they would have called it the GameSlab.

Further affirming myself as a Sega fanboy, I managed to get my Genesis from my parents’ attic. I hooked it all up back at home, and, miraculously, it worked. When I sold all my old Genesis games (Phantasy Star IV, Shining Force I & II, Beyond Oasis, Sonic 3*, maybe a few more that I can’t think of off the top of my head), I kept Sonic 2, because it was the closest game to my heart at the time. I kept it knowing that someday, I would want to play it again. Yesterday was that day. I played through as if it had been only a week since the last time, instead of the 10 or 15 years that it’s been. Didn’t even die once until the Mystic Cave Zone, easily my least favorite. I marveled at how great the game still looked, and how fast it was, and how eeeeencredibly well-designed it was. I was facing the final Robotnik at the end, though, and the power went off. I was in the midst of a massive adrenaline rush too, so I practically jumped seven feet from a sitting position when it happened. Man.

*Sonic 3 was a big letdown for me, so I sold it. It was nowhere as cool or long or engaging as Sonic 2 was. However, when Sonic & Knuckles came out, you could attach Sonic 3, and suddenly, it became a whole, complete adventure. I had already sold my Sonic 3 by that point though.**

**A little piece of my soul dies every time I trade in a game. Unfortunately, I sometimes don’t realize this until months or years later.

Also, I just got my first free issue of HGM on friday. I was pretty excited when the free offer came up, as I was an avid reader of DieHard GameFan back in the day, and HGM is the spiritual successor to that and GameFan. If this new magazine manages to capture a tenth of DHGF’s feel, I will like it. So far, it has: good reviews (even though they’re kinda short***, and I don’t agree with them all), some really good cosplay photos in the back, an article on cooking for gamers (reader submitted!), and a NoBullet fanart. I haven’t read a magazine in ages, instead I have become accustomed to the focused, quick-reacting Internet where the writing only has to appeal to people in the know. A magazine has to be more general. Still though, a magazine has advantages. It’s a lot more visually appealing in layout than a Web site. It’s portable. And… um… you can draw moustaches and angry eyebrows on people. Yeah.

***I think I might just be getting used to the tim rogers review method.

I shot off an email to Colorware, who does custom colors on Apples and Ipods and consoles, asking if they would do a DS. I still await the reply!

****I need a camera. Seriously. I wonder if I can get Kyocera to refurb mine or something. Also, asterisks are awesome.