Tsumi Ge-mu “Stacked Game”

Japanese term for a game that is initially purchased with enthusiasm but once home is left unplayed, added to an ever-increasing stack of games that the obsessive collector will never have time to actually play. Associated with vague feelings of dissatisfaction and guilt.

32X

Released late in 1993, the 32X was a hardware add-on for the Genesis that would upgrade the aging console into a 32 bit machine. Considering that the Saturn would be released only a year and a half later, the 32X was dead at birth. By the end of 1995, Sega dropped the accessory and stopped making games for it. Not that anyone cared. In the history of consoles, even the most hangdog machine will have one or two games worth playing. The 32X is unique in that there is not even one game to recommend for it.

Tate Monita “Vertical Monitor”

Japanese term. Home console versions of arcade shooters will sometimes feature an “Arcade Mode” that rotates the game screen 90 degrees. This allows serious players to turn their television on its side so that they can enjoy the game in the original vertical format as presented in arcades. Ikaruga for the Gamecube has this feature as does Galactic Attack (Rayforce/Layer Section in Japan) for the Saturn.

Power Base Converter

The first of many hardware add-ons that Sega produced for its Genesis console. The bulky Power Base Converter unit, looking somewhat like an Aztec pyramid, plugged into the top of the console and enabled Genesis owners to play most of Sega’s older Master System cartridges. Really only useful for playing Phantasy Star which was commonly found in bargain bins at the same time.

Old Game Journalism (OGJ)

A term used by NGJ to describe the predominate mode of video game reporting that has been the standard since the industry was founded. OGJ is video game industry news and consumer advice, usually presented with the veneer of objectivity. Disseminated through print magazines and commercial web sites, OGJ can be a powerful influence on popular tastes. It’s downside is that it can easily degenerate into little more than a mouthpiece for industry PR. However, OGJ cannot be so easily dismissed. Critical standards on what qualities make a game good or bad have been defined by OGJ over many years of writing.

Nomad

A hand-held version of the Genesis released in 1995. A neat idea that did not work out so well in practice. For one thing, the Nomad was pretty huge. With a cartridge sticking out of the top and a battery pack attached to the back, the Nomad was about the size of a shoe box. Also, the Nomad’s voracious appetite for batteries would chew through six alkalines in less than an hour. Sure, you could plug it into a wall socket but then you’re not really going portable are you?

New Game Journalism (NGJ)

A recent development in video game reporting that concerns itself less with the video game industry and more with the personal, subjective experience of playing games. NGJ can found primarily on the Internet and is usually written by frustrated graduate school washouts. (Although there is evidence suggesting that some NGJ is actually written by Old Game Journalists in secret) At this early stage, NGJ is showing some obvious weaknesses. Frequently it can be obscure, obsessive, confrontational, and elitist. Despite these shortcomings, NGJ has at its core a subtle truth; that playing a video game is a subjective experience that cannot be completely separated from the player. Video games “happen” and the game that I play today is not the same game that you played yesterday.

Neptune

One-off concept hardware created by Sega engineers that combined a Genesis and a 32X into one unit. Never seriously considered for production, the Neptune lingers in the minds of video game collectors like a mythical unicorn. Every few years rumors are passed about a forgotten warehouse somewhere on the Yokohama Bayfront, stacked high with dust covered boxes of Neptunes waiting to fill orders that will never come.

Danmaku “Bullet Curtain”

Japanese term for the barrage of fire found in some shooter games in which enemies radiate an insane number of bullets across the screen. Blatantly psychedelic. Also called “Bullet Hell”. Ikaruga is a recent example of a danmaku shooter.

Akihabara “Electric Town”

Spread across several city blocks near central Tokyo, Akihabara is the eye-melting ground zero of consumer electronics. From shops barely large enough for two customers, to multilevel mega stores, Akihabara is crammed with electronic goods of every kind, including video games. It has a chaotic atmosphere where you are just as likely to find a DVD of a woman’s breasts being sucked into a vacuum cleaner as you are the latest RPG from Falcom. While goods in Akihabara are not necessarily cheaper, many of the shops do a brisk business in used video games as well as new, so you will find an amazing selection to dig through. As you browse, be prepared for an awesome wall of noise generated from j-pop blasting on the store’s overhead speakers while eight demo games are running simultaneously at maximum volume. Bring a full wallet and a zen mind.