Sega Saturn S-Video mod tutorial

Why S-Video? If you don't have a setup for SCART or RGB then this is the best video quality you can get for your retro systems...and it is DAMN good looking. The jump in quality from composite to S-Video is dramatic, and the jump from coaxial (if somehow you're stuck with that) to S-Video will flatten your balls.

Alternatives to this mod: You can find an S-Video cable for Saturn easily on eBay or Amazon for about 10 bucks, making this mod...kind of pointless.

HOWEVER, if you find modding your consoles fun (as I do), you want to use easy-to-find generic cords instead of relying upon proprietary Saturn cables, or you're worried about the Saturn's default video output port failing (It can get finicky over time) then you should give this a try. Having separate stereo sound ports also makes it easier for you to hook your console up to external speakers or for capturing sound and video from the Saturn.

There are a lot of photos here so click below to view the tutorial.

Straightening out your old instruction manuals!

DISCLAIMER: I haven't had any problems with this method, but you're doing it at your own risk! I hereby absolve myself of any liability if you melt your instruction manual.

DISCLAIMER #2: After letting the manuals sit for a while, I can see that they do "relax" a bit and may become a little wavy again, especially very thick ones like the Eternal Champions manual. I've had success in making them stay flatter by simply repeating the process outlined below.

I finally got a copy of one of my favorite Sega Saturn games, Crypt Killer! The disc and case were in good condition but I was disappointed to see that the manual was very warped. This was a particular problem for me because of the clear cases Saturn games use--like PS1 cases, the cover art is the manual, and an ugly manual = an ugly Crypt Killer.

This seems to be a somewhat common problem with Sega Master System, Genesis and Saturn games...the tabs that hold the instruction booklets against the inside of the case lets them hang down then they're stored horizontally, leading to warping after a while. I performed this experiment with several Sega manuals and I was quite pleased with the results. It may sound a little crazy, but if wrinkled, wobbly manuals bother you as much as me then why not give it a try?

STEP 1: sandwich the manual between two sheets of glass. I used a piece of frame glass (old picture frames are easy to find for a dollar or less at thrift stores/flea markets) and a heavier sheet of glass that I believe was used for color matching Pantone swatches. Use what you can find!

Step 1: sandwich the manual between two sheets of glass. featuring Eternal Champions, the LARGEST instruction manual ever for a fighting game

STEP 2: set your manual sandwich in the oven and turn it on to the lowest setting; my oven only goes down to 170˚ F, though yours may go lower. After the oven has reached temperature, continue to let it run for about 3 more minutes. You want the sheets of glass to absorb the ambient heat.

STEP 3: Once your manual is golden brown and delicious, turn off the oven and (carefully) remove the glass/manual setup to keep it from getting too hot. Don't take the glass off the manual yet! It should help if you place some weight on top so that the manual will continue to be pressed as the glass cools--I personally just place a heavy pot on top of the glass.

Before...

Let it sit for an hour or two before removing the top glass. Now there's a manual you can put on eBay!

And after.

Another example. As you can see, there was a pretty severe crease in the corner that couldn't be entirely fixed, but it's a decent improvement!

There are definitely other ways to fix warped instruction manuals; my first thought was to put a protective sheet of paper or something over the manual and run an iron over it, but I went with the oven method because it would apply low, sustained heat to the paper and slowly flatten it as the glass cools, with minimum chance of scorching anything. 

Now enjoy looking at your nice flat manuals!

Famicase 2014: 4 Favorite Entries

The Famicase Exhibition online gallery is finally live! Here are some of my favorite labels and most interesting game ideas.

I could have easily posted and written about 15 of my favorites, but I decided to limit myself to four. Make sure to check out the exhibition gallery to see everyone else’s work.

ZOMBIE MIXER!! by Mountain Graphics

Mix and match body parts to create an endless variety of monsters! Everything about this one is wonderful—great logo, excellent 3d models (I think that’s a first for Famicase!), even the cartridge color choice is spot on. Another Mountain Graphics piece was chosen as a favorite last year as well.

BIRD RPG by Kim Cassin
"Morals are for the weak and beakless in this zero-dungeon non-action RPG. Naive country folk will love you … unless you get caught! Line your nest with only the best necklaces and bangles in this gluttonous and glittery modern adventure story."
This might be the first morally ambiguous bird-based video game. The stark and minimal label art looks super distinctive! Paired with the premise and the funny/surreal drawing style, it really makes you wonder what the game would look and play like. Great idea and execution.

SUBMARINE CITY by FrogPort
"How are you doing? Six months have passed since I moved here."
Wonderful simplicity here. The premise of the game (life in an underwater city) is compelling enough, but the way the artist referenced Activision’s classic Atari cover art with the text treatment and rainbow motif is very interesting to see, particularly from a Japanese artist…were Japanese gamers exposed to the Activision style back then too?

CRAZY BALLOON by RSD/Shinji Endo
It’s great when cartridge art perfectly sums up what you’re in for right away—Crazy Balloon looks like a one-hit-kill deathmatch game in the vein of Samurai Gunn or an aerial Bushido Blade. Simple and brilliant! Of course, this is speculation as the game’s description is in Japanese. It additionally mentions usage of the Famicom’s built in microphone, probably for blowing up or moving the balloons. Very clever! The logo design is wonderful as well and the vibrant cartridge color choice makes the rest of the design pop.

 HONORABLE MENTION:

 

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Famicase 2014: Busy Planet

The neighborhood is getting so crowded these days! As the only human on a planet full of new creatures, you have to try hard to fit in. Everyone may have their differences, but we can make friends if we work together!

Here's my entry to this year's Famicase Exhibition! Famicase is an annual art show held in Tokyo at METEOR, retro gaming shop and gallery. The objective of the show is to design a label for a fake Famicom game--obviously I had to participate. This is my second year in a row; here's my entry from last year, Labyrinth of Cemetery.

The online gallery of entries from this year isn't up yet, but it should be soon. I'll make another post with my favorites then.

If you're in Tokyo between now and May 31, check out the show and send me photos!
METEOR
〒 180-0003
Musashino-shi, Tokyo Kichijojiminami cho 1-6-7 2F

Best Burger

 

Best Burger! It’s a simple quick-reflexes cooking game where you press the proper combination of keystrokes to fill the customer’s order.

As the difficulty rises, word recognition turns to pattern recognition when you have deal with customers that speak in hieroglyphics (Egyptian mummy level) and alien pictograms (outer space level).

Not really. These are just mockups I made for a game idea I thought up. Honestly it's pretty much a ripoff of the lunch minigame from The Misadventures of Tron Bonne but I wasn't thinking of that when I had the idea! I had a lot of fun with the extra-low-res graphics. Who knows, maybe when we're done with Witch my brother can help me turn this into an actual project.

A look at Exie's evolution in sprite form (Witch)

It's Exie!

So you may or may not know that I’m working on graphics for a simple shootemup called Witch, featuring the character from my pixel art comic, Constellation. Having never done graphics for a game that would have to actually be playable, I’ve gone through several redesigns of the player character’s sprite.

LET’S TAKE A LOOK!! (process chat and lots of pixel art behind the cut)