Well would you look at that? Pier Solar finally turned up… three months ago! Why has it taken me so long? Apathy, probably… I don’t care! I do what I want, when I want. Enjoy the full unboxing experience of Pier Solar and the Great Architects along with a peek at the Mega Drive version that I must have bought a while back but have no memory of. Time sure does distort things! :)

Today we’re opening the collector’s edition of Pier Solar for the Sega Dreamcast. I believe I ordered the Japanese NTSC-J version, and I’ve been looking forward to having a proper look at it for quite some time. Unfortunately, it arrived just before Christmas and I’ve only just got around to opening the thing.

The packaging is rather impressive. There are protective sleeves, a sturdy box and plenty of little details that make the whole thing feel quite special. It also seems to have been designed to make the actual unboxing take as long as possible!

Eventually we get inside, and there’s the game in its rather lovely jewel case. The printed materials are nicely presented, complete with a spine card and all the little extras you might expect from a Japanese release. It’s certainly not a cheap-looking package.

Of course, there’s also a slight problem. In the time it took for this game to arrive and then sit unopened, I’ve managed to sell all my Dreamcasts. That’s going to make actually playing it rather difficult, isn’t it?

There’s a collection of artwork and booklets in the box too, along with what appears to be a rather nice poster. Unfortunately, one part of the printed artwork looks decidedly odd. The ink around one of the characters’ faces seems to have gone horribly wrong.

Oh dear. I was hoping to put some new gaming posters up around the house, but that one isn’t exactly what I had in mind. Perhaps there’s a replacement somewhere. It does seem a shame after such a long wait.

And there’s more! A mug or pencil holder, a collection of little figures and other bits and pieces. There’s even a frog and a chicken. You can never have too many chickens in a collector’s edition, apparently.

I’ve also got a Pier Solar belt buckle to show off, complete with the 64 Meg branding. That’s rather more Mega Drive than Dreamcast, but it’s a nice little extra for the collection. Alongside it I’ve got a substantial guidebook, with plenty of illustrations and information about the game.

Speaking of the Mega Drive, I should probably dig out my copy of the original version. There it is! I went with the Genesis/Mega Drive release, and it’s still sitting safely in its case with the manual, stickers and a rather nice anniversary poster.

The Mega Drive poster looks considerably healthier than the one from the Dreamcast package. Perhaps I should have that laminated as well. Although that would mean finding somewhere to display it, and I already have enough things that I really ought to get around to doing.

The Mega Drive edition looks wonderful, and I have to admit that I still haven’t spent much time actually playing it. The Dreamcast release is now in much the same situation, particularly without a Dreamcast handy to run it on.

Still, there’s plenty to admire in these packages. Beautiful artwork, unusual collectibles, an enormous amount of packaging and a game that really deserves more attention than I’ve managed to give it.

Now I just need another Dreamcast. And some wall space. And perhaps a little more motivation!