Wow, that alternate cover for YI is nice, thanks for sharing. 
I subscribed for a bit to RetroGamer, but like others said it just got too expensive. In my last year too, I had issues where I wouldn’t get my issue till after it hit newstands, or just not show up at all. I had to contact them a few times because it would be 2 1/2 months between issues. Now I just pick it up every now and again when it has something I’m interested in. Though I feel its not as good as it used to be. One of my favorite issues was the Super Metroid one from ages ago. It went so in depth on the development and everything, the newer stuff only eems to scratch the surface.
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It depends on the issue, some are thinner than others on coverage it seems. The YI article is very long though and glancing at it they have interview quotes regarding the development from Tezuka and Mr. Hino throughout the whole thing. RetroGamer could be better in some ways but I like supporting it whenever I can because it’s nice to have an actual physical mag focused on classic gaming.
And I need to track down that Super Metroid issue now!
I had a retrogamer subscription for a few years, it’s a quality publication, I also had some of their bookazines, there was a lot of British focused micro computer content but overall the mix of games and systems covered was pretty good. I hadn’t read one for a couple of years as my local shop stopped selling it, the last one I picked up was the one with Tetris on the cover, there was a half page article were one of the writers apologised for enjoying leisure suit Larry games 20 years ago and of course he would never play such a game like that now! I got the impression that they had lost their way somewhat, the cover art is still stunning though.
A very special pick up for me today. Went to my local Expo, and added a couple signatures to my copy of Metal Gear Solid: David Hayter and Jennifer Hale. MGS is my favourite game of all time, and it was so exciting to meet both of them and let then know how much their work means to me.
(I got Cam Clarke’s autographic on the game a couple years ago at the same con)
I also picked up Dragon Warrior 3 for GBC, which I’m really looking forward to playing.
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That is really awesome. I’ve not been able to get anything gaming related signed and the chances of me meeting Yuji Naka, Reiko Kodama or Satoshi Sakai seem very very slim indeed for the things I would love to have signed. I did get Billy West to sign a Futurama DVD for me but really that is about it.
Anyway just had my main bundled together from Japan parcel arrive which I’ve combined with a few other recent April pickups:
The Fonewearl statue is NOS and is a huge pickup for me as been trying to hunt one down at an affordable price for many many years now and out of the 3 PSO statues is the rarest. I still have the other two to obtain mind…
MVS Blue’s Journey was obtained obscenely cheap because it was non functioning as well as the NTSC-U Final Fantasy II which was also purchased for a bargain price due to saves not working on it. I’ll be posting up repairs logs for both carts soon enough.
MEGA used to be my favourite SEGA Megadrive magazine growing up so was happy to pick up a lot of them, though the writing leaves a lot to be desired now I am re-reading them as an adult.
The Gamecube pad was my only local find at a charity shop for just 0.99pence!
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What a coincidence - I also picked up DWIII recently. A friend gave me some of his most treasured games (almost all of them RPGs) from the past, including it and the Eidos-published EUR release Dragon Warrior Monsters.
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I also picked up a very cheap cartridge of Mawaru Made in Wario. Luckily the previous owner unlocked all the toys from the gacha machine so it’s been great fun revisiting this gem. My favourite in the series is still R&D 1’s WarioWare Inc. but Twisted is a very fun toy-like game to mess around with.
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For me, Retro Gamer is worth every penny monthly. There is just so much history in every issue, and not having lived the UK microcomputer scene, it’s all super informative to me. I like seeing how gaming evolved differently overseas.
I love their Minority Report feature that pops up from time to time showing lesser known games on known and lesser known systems. The Unconverted, a feature on arcade games that never got ported to the home is excellent too.
The features are where it’s at, though. When they do a big blowout and can get the original Japanese developers to talk about creation of iconic games, well, there’s rarely anywhere else you can find that information.
I don’t subscribe only because Barnes & Noble carries it and I like going in and finding it on the shelf. I get excited every time I pick it up. The girl at the register was super into the Yoshi’s Island cover this month that she said she was going to buy it just because it looked great. 
Too bad she was married… lol!
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Dragon Warrior 3 on GBC is a great way to play that game. I really appreciate the 16-bit demake feel, great use of the GB hardware for visuals and audio, while retaining full features of the SNES remake with new additions.
Couple of new Switch games! I bought Umihara Kawase Fresh digitally at launch because Amazon Japan kept refusing my payment, but the game is so good I really wanted a boxed copy from original publisher Success, rather than Nicalis’ release in July.
The quality of the English dialogue is better than some games which require a new publisher to handle that, which really surprised me, so hats off to Success. Cotton is also more than a superficial addition to the game.
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I forgot about this one! Always wanted to revisit what is essentially a clone of Konami’s Thrill Drive after playing that series at arcades in Japan. What I hadn’t realised was how different the original PS2 release is to the GC/Xbox version that I had back in the day. The visuals were made more moody in the rerelease, with the blue skies of the PS2 original replaced by overcast skies in some tracks:
The bespoke reflection effect that PS2 is good at also wasn’t replicated on GC if you look at the car select screen.
The larger focus on raw racing in the first two Burnouts has always appealed to me more in the long run than what came after that.
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Time to pick up the PS2 version then it seems! Got have those blue skies. I guess the GC/Xbox versions have 480p over the PS2 version (unless you can force it via GSM?)
Did the Xbox version also have the ability to play custom soundtracks?
Burnout 2 is the peak of the series for me, the sense of danger and risk feels greatly reduced in the sequels, where they seemed more like really good destruction derby sequels.
2x SFC games (not shown)
- Pebble Beach no Hatou
- Pebble Beach no Hatou NEW Tournament Edition
plus 2x guide books
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Oh fuck, there was a guide for Tomba 1? Tell me if you don’t mind, how much did that cost you before I start looking for it.
Looks like the going rate is around 1500yen for トンバ! ザ・ワイルドアドベンチャー 公式ガイドブック though it seems it might be obtainable from amazon.co.jp for around 700yen in “acceptable” condition.
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Picked up a Hori Fight Stick Mini today.
It’s crazy small compared to the RAP! Overall it seems a decent enough stick, and it’s small enough that I could realistically bring it with me if I travel with my Switch.
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This one is for Tomba 2. It’s affordable if you import it! I paid 980¥ base price. Shipping and bulk buy helps reduce overheads.
Amazon regional shipped from Japan has it listed for about £23, which was too rich for me.
Let me know if your want to see inside.
Tomba 1 guide is multiple times more expensive. 
Guess I was so blinded by Tomba that I didn’t even see the side character from 2 there as well.
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In that case here is an old Japanese web guide I’m sure you’ll enjoy. It covers both Tomba games.
https://web.archive.org/web/20160701185715/http://musekinindou.web.fc2.com/tomba/index.html