Segaiden #03: An Introduction to SG-1000

Segaiden #03: An Introduction to SG-1000

Author: Jeremy Parish February 9, 2021 Duration: 9:37

The road to NES Works begins here!

It's difficult to know what the year 2021 has in store for us, but you can at least look forward to one constant (fingers crossed): This comprehensive deep dive into the Sega 8-bit catalog. Beginning this week, most of my effort for much of 2021 will be focused on exploring the history of the Sega SG-1000 before rolling into the American Master System launch, bringing these compact Sega overviews into line with NES Works 1988 (which we'll still be checking in on from time to time!). I'll also be producing extremely brief summaries of the Famicom games released in Japan in parallel to these SG-1000 titles throughout 1984 and '85, all the way through the American NES launch.

This episode kicks things off with an overview of the Sega SG-1000's launch, which happened to fall on the same day as the debut of Nintendo Famicom, and the hardware itself. Special thanks for this series to: Omar Cornut, segaretro.org, and Analogue Co.

Video Works is funded via Patreon (http://www.patreon.com/gamespite) — support the show and get access to every episode up to two weeks in advance of its YouTube debut! And be sure to check out the Retronauts podcast (http://www.retronauts.com), where I (and many others!) tackle a much wider array of classic gaming topics each week.


Jeremy Parish's Video Works by Jeremy Parish is a curated collection of his long-running projects diving deep into the history and design of classic video games. Rather than a single focused series, this podcast serves as an archive and hub for several distinct endeavors. You'll find episodes from Game Boy World, which meticulously documents every pre-Game Boy Advance handheld title in chronological order, offering a unique historical perspective. Another strand explores the interconnected world of "Metroidvania" games, analyzing the design principles that define this beloved subgenre. The Anatomy of Games segments provide thorough, thoughtful critiques of classic game design, breaking down what makes these titles endure. Each episode, whether originally audio or adapted from video content, carries Parish's knowledgeable and considered commentary. This podcast is for anyone with an appreciation for gaming's foundations, presented not as dry history but as an engaging exploration of the artistry and innovation that shaped the medium. Tune in for a consistently insightful look at the pixels and philosophies behind the games you might have played-or always meant to.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Video Works by Jeremy Parish
Podcast Episodes
NES Works Gaiden #042: Super Mario Bros. 2: The Lost Levels [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:50
By a perfectly timed request by patron TheyCallMeSleeper, this episode arrives just in time to be positioned between this channel's coverage of Super Mario Bros. and its American sequel. Of course, this Japan-only sequel…
NES Works Gaiden #041: BattleCity / Super Mario Bros. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 10:49
The Famicom finally reaches maturity with the arrival of Mario's greatest adventure—and perhaps the greatest action game anyone had ever created to this point in history. Pushing the Famicom hardware to its absolute limi…
NES Works #092: Mickey Mousecapade/ Joust/ Millipede/ DK Classics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 18:05
Capcom kicks off one of the most important creative threads of the NES's history: Their collaboration with Disney, back in the days when Disney was simply an animation studio struggling to reinvent itself for a new era r…
NES Works #091: Ghostbusters [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:15
Continuing the trend of "games converted badly to Famicom in 1986 and published in America two years later," we have Bits Laboratory's disastrous adaptation of Activision's Ghostbusters. A fun, frothy, fast-paced little…
NES Works #090: Spy Vs. Spy / MagMax / Seicross [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:54
More newcomers arrive on NES this episode, each bringing a musty conversion of an even older original work in tow. Kemco-Seika makes its NES debut with a two-year-old port of First Star Software's Spy Vs. Spy, which kind…
NES Works #089: Bubble Bobble & Racket Attack [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:33
It's two for two for the road this week with Bubble Bobble, a game specifically designed to be played with another person, and Racket Attack, the second-ever NES tennis game which, like Nintendo's Tennis, offers support…
NES Works #088: Jackal / Wheel of Fortune / Jeopardy! [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 15:16
The prevailing theme for NES games in 1988 has been multiplayer. From Contra to Life Force to Jackal, many of the best games for '88 played best with friends. (That was probably also true for games that weren't published…
NES Works Gaiden #039: Astro Robo Sasa / Honshogi / Robot Gyro [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:46
The machines have risen, taking control of this trio of games and obviating humanity altogether. Well, almost altogether. R.O.B. at least demonstrates the value of mankind working together, hand-in-, uh, claw with its ne…
NES Works Gaiden #038: The Tower of Druaga [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 12:51
Although I've previously covered The Tower of Druaga on Game Boy Works, this version precedes the portable rendition by half a decade and stands as the more towering achievement of the two. So to speak. Another solid arc…