For the Record: How Altered Beast the Sega Genesis Game Also Became a Matthew Sweet Album!

Altered Beast, a popular Sega arcade game, later became an album!
(More Below!)
Episode information
GTV 38 "For the Record" Season 2 Episode 17
Original Airdate: November 7, 2017
Produced October 23-26, 2017 and April 10-12, 2024
Remastered Airdate: April 13, 2024
Recorded at Butsudan Studios and edited on my new (at the time) MacBook Pro with, of course, pirated versions of Final Cut Pro and Photoshop.
Re-recorded on my semi-new-ish M1 Pro MacBook Pro!
Thanks to Lovers of 120 Minutes on MTV for preserving the interview seen in this video!
Watch it here! • Matthew Sweet intervie...
The channel is awesome by the way, and if 120 Minutes was the only thing you ever watched on (M)TV, you will be sure to like it!
/ @loversof120minutesonmtv
The updated video is essentially the same as the original, except now the interview replaces my reading of the text. The part about having no money is also a new addition, although complaining about how expensive things are has always been a feature of the channel. Other things were cleaned up and the parts about shag carpet and the Mystery Machine were cut for time.
Partial transcript
Altered Beast, the game, was released to arcades in 1988 by Sega. Athena, the daughter of Zeus, has been kidnapped and you, a resurrected Greek warrior, must rescue her. The Japanese name was 獣王記, loosely translated in means Beast King Chronicles. The whole concept bears a similarity to the film Jason and the Argonauts, I’d talk about that more, but… I don’t have that kind of money!
The game is a straightforward beat-em-up, in which the player can gain power-ups to make fighting easier. When you gain 3 power-ups, you can change into various animals: a wolf, bear and tiger even a dragon! The game was popular at the time, and was lauded for its bright graphics and its use of synthesized voice.
Altered Beast was used to show off the power of the Sega Genesis, AKA Mega Drive, starting in 1989 and remained the pack-in game until Sonic the Hedgehog replaced it.
One super fan of this game was a singer songwriter by the name of Matthew Sweet.
One of the many musicians who came out of the Athens, Georgia music scene in the Early 1980s. In case you forget , R.E.M. led the way. After releasing a few albums that didn’t do much, Matthew Sweet achieved breakthrough success with Girlfriend, in 1991.
Without out a doubt the best year for music in human history.
Matthew followed up Girlfriend with Altered Beast, in 1993!
Wait! Altered Beast? Like the old Sega game?!
Yeah! Matthew was such a fan, that while promoting said album, he admitted that this was his favorite game of all time and even had the arcade cabinet to Altered Beast in his house!
Other great SEGA videos by GTV!
Phantasy Star 30th Anniversary • Phantasy Star Series 3...
Sega SG-1000 Story • The First SEGA TV Game...
Sega Mega Drive Perfect Guides • Sega Genesis / Mega Dr...
Meet Mr. Sega! • Savior of The Dreamcas...
Phantasy Star II 30th Anniversary • Phantasy Star II: A 30...
Mega Drive Mini Unboxing • Sega Mega Drive / Gene...
Segata Sanshiro • Forever in Our Hearts:...
Phantasy Star III 30th Anniversary • Phantasy Star III Gene...
The More You Know: Game Gear • The More You Know Gami...
Sega Solar System • Sega's Solar System: F...
The American MegaDrive (aka The Origin of Genesis) • Video
Sonic the Hedgehog 30th Anniversary • The History of Sonic t...
Sonic the 8-Bit • Sonic the Hedgehog Mov...
The Zillion Story • Zillion: Sega’s Video ...
A Sonic Adventure • Sega's ORIGINAL Sonic ...
Sonic 2’s Day • Sonic 2sDay: A Retrosp...
Phantasy Star 35 • Phantasy Star One 35th...
Magical Hat is not Zillion 3 • Magical Hat Ain't Doki...
Sonic Mania Day • Sonic Mania Day: Novem...
Phantasy Star IV The End of the Millennium: • Phantasy Star IV The E...
Sonic 3 & Hedgehog Day • The Story of Sonic 3 &...
Other GTV episodes with celebrities in them
Double Identity • Professor Layton Voice...
Guts Pose • April 11th Is Guts Pos...
Who Are Kato & Ken? • “Who Are Kato & Ken?” ...
Rational Ebullience • Yatta! The Legend of G...
Elec-Man VS. Journey • The Mega Man 1 Elec Ma...
The Story of Tetris World Champion Evets Kainzow • Video
Hulk Hogan Manga Mania! • Video
Meet Mr. Sega • Savior of The Dreamcas...
Zelda 2 and the 1988 Chip Shortage • Christmas Special! Nut...
Monkey Magic • "How One Song Made 'Jo...
Segata Sanshiro • Forever in Our Hearts:...
The Legendary Mother • The Legendary Mother: ...
Club Nintendo • Club Nintendo: The Sto...
Ken Uston: The Gamer Gambler • The Legend of Ken Usto...
King of Keirin • The Legend of Koichi N...
Ten Years of Funassyi! • 10 Fun Ass Years of Fu...
Kyoro-chan’s Nebulous Journey • Super Mario Bros. 2 In...
Alfred Chicken’s Crazy Campaigns • Video

[@seanmckelvey6618]

Great album named after a great game. Enough said.

[@GTV-Japan]

This was one of my favorite videos to make and it was fun to come back and make it all over again.

[@obsecivegaming2996]

Would love to play switch games or ps 5 games with ya got both consoles cuz Im a gaming nerd lol

[@NEStalgia1985]

Glad you like it. Quality production as usual

[@Sarcophagus74]

Do one on Bubble Bobble. I don't think anyone has. Home version of the game did not have bonus stages.

[@fumomofumosarum5893]

well... twice the fun! ^^;

[@NEStalgia1985]

@@fumomofumosarum5893 double the pleasure double the fun....extra sugar free gum

[@ShinSeikiEvan]

He was the first celebrity anime fan that I'm aware of. There may have been others like Robin Williams, but they were not open about it like Matthew was.

[@GTV-Japan]

Robin Williams was very open about gaming though he even had jokes about playing “Nintendo tapes” backwards. I can’t think of anyone else though. Sure Godzilla and more mainstream things were liked by celebrities but I guess our boy Matthew was a true pioneer!

[@HaydenTheHistorian]

Matthew Sweet is such a 90s icon for paving the way for anime exposure in the west

[@GTV-Japan]

He got me hooked, that's for sure.

[@FeralInferno]

That's pretty cool you got to meet him! Back in 2010 I was driving home from work late one night. There was an electronica radio show that played every Saturday night that kept me company on the ride home. Randomly, a techno version of an Altered Beast song started playing with some of the voice samples. One of my favorite memories driving home working the late shift.

[@GTV-Japan]

Wow that’s neat! Never heard of that.

[@kevinf2757]

Was it this classic acid house track? kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIrXYp5ojt53edU&ab_channel=GlubHouse

[@njp4321]

"In 1988 bad meant good, ask your parents." That hit me right in the feels. The terribly, terribly old feels...

[@JoeyJ0J0]

I played Altered Beast a lot as a kid. Every year I play through the game.

[@etgripper]

Been playing this game off and on my entire life and I never knew this, thanks! Still waiting for Ye to release his TurboGrafx-16 album.

[@GTV-Japan]

It’s “coming soon” just like Cosmic Fantasy 3

[@RonnieBarzel]

Side note on Matthew Sweet’s discography: the cover albums he has recorded with Susannah Hoffs (ex-Bangles lead singer) as the “Under the Covers” trilogy are really good!

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah I know! They were also in Austin Power’s band Ming Tea too!

[@ZEKESPILLEDINKMUSIC]

I both had a copy of Altered Beast for the Genesis when I was a kid and lived in Athens, GA when I was working on my Doctorate in Music several years ago. I had no idea that there was an album inspired by Altered Beast, let alone one made by an artist from my state in the U.S. Thank you so much for posting this video!

[@GTV-Japan]

I think he’s from Nebraska but is billed from Athens because that’s where he made his connections. He was in a band with Michael Stipe’s sister so I’ve heard! He was also, later in Austin Powers’s band Ming Tea!

[@seekertosecrets]

2:52 Props to the desinger.

[@BubblegumCrash332]

Econoline crush!! There is a band I haven't heard in decades, literally the last time I listened was the late 90s. Spotify here I come

[@GTV-Japan]

I actually liked them.

[@liveitdown]

Matthew Sweet is a genius. 100% Fun is one of my all time favs.

[@GTV-Japan]

Same here! I still listen to it all time.

[@SwashBuccaneer]

Altered Beast was one of my favorite SEGA games.

[@GTV-Japan]

People seem to not like it. Yes it short but at the time the graphics were amazing and it was fun.

[@famousashtray]

Yess! I’m from a huge Matthew Sweet fan! I know he’s a big anime and game fan.

[@timculhane625]

He just recently performed in Chicago.My hometown I missed it unfortunately

[@meghanlands2247]

I love Matthew Sweet! What a nice little video, I really enjoyed it!

[@GTV-Japan]

Cheers! 🐯

[@GimblyGFR]

I had no idea about that Matthew Sweet album! Man, you always find weird and interesting topics for your videos. You are absolutely right: 1991 is the best year in music. The sheer amount of great albums released that year is almost unbelievable: The Black Album by Metallica, Ten by Pearl Jam, Blood Sugar Sex Magic by RHCP, Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden, Use Your Illusion 1 & 2 by G'n'R, Innuendo by Queen, Mr. Bungle by Mr. Bungle, No More Tears by Ozzy, We Can't Dance by Genesis, Slow Deep & Hard by Type O Negative, Holidays in Eden by Marillion, and many, many, many more. Nothing was the same after that wonderful year. Anyway, great video. Your channel rules!

[@GTV-Japan]

91 is the only year I can point to (surely with spillover from 90 & 92) where every genre of music has something interesting to listen to that was also groundbreaking and still remembered today.

[@GimblyGFR]

@@GTV-Japan 100% agree.

[@matthewwonks2534]

I've been an unabashed Altered Beast fan and defender since I played it in 1990. Kudos to Matthew Sweet.

[@GTV-Japan]

Strangely this video is bringing out the argument that the game was never good? I don’t see how.

[@matthewwonks2534]

@@GTV-Japan Some time in the mid-2000s it seems like it became popular opinion that the game wasn't good (which is to say, I think a few sites ragged on it, and people who never played the game took those opinions as fact). I thinks I've become a little defensive in the past few decades because of this revisionist history. As a little kid when the game released on Genesis, nothing was cooler than transmuting into a werebear with my friend and turning underworld demons to stone. The game still sells very well--one of the reasons why they ported it to the 3DS was due to how well it sold on Wii. So I think this "Altered Beast was never good" talk is probably a moot point if it still makes fans happy and makes Sega some money.

[@GTV-Japan]

@matthewwonks2534 oh yeah those sites. The same that say phantasy star 3 is the black sheep and whatever else. Now they all sell books full of screenshots. I ignore those. I made this channel as a counterweight to all that and just tell interesting stories.

[@Daftanemone]

I love that your love for Matthew Sweet is so genuine. The personal connection to him is what makes this video so entertaining. I love learning about what musicians peoples are passionates about and sharing in their excitement

[@GTV-Japan]

Cheers! All I can say is I religiously watched 120 minutes from 1990-1999 though I usually watched it on tape the next Monday 😴 so basically every band that was there in the golden age I was into. There were a lot of one single wonders but obviously The Cure Depeche Mode REM are the big three. Lots of one single wonders out there that’s for sure. It’s hard to make a list because I’d feel like I’d be leaving something out but there are many small musical cues in videos that I leave from time to time. What happened at the end of 120 minutes was so sad. They switched the format to nü metal 🤮 and didn’t even have a host at the end. It was unwatchable and unrecognizable from the glory days where it was a place to catch videos that you couldn’t see in the daytime that were all driven by creative satisfaction rather than popularity even if a lot of things shared the same sound. On M2 the new 120 was pretty good but they killed that too. Really I would have much preferred to make a music channel but I knew copyright would kill it. Either from being struck down or not being able to fully express myself because of the fear of that. Oh well. Anyway cheers again! 🍺

[@CushionSapp]

Me at the start of this video: "This makes me thing of that guy who used clips of Space Adventure Cobra in one of his music videos" Me at 2:57: "Oh, it's the same guy. Neat"

[@GTV-Japan]

If you watch the full video interview I linked he talks a little bit about that. He said anime was kind of a theme because he was really getting into it then and after that he got into classic cars.

[@jayesun3420]

I love this episode, right up my alley and cool to hear about your invite on to Mr.Sweet's your bus,what a cool guy.excellent work 😊🎉

[@GTV-Japan]

I met a lot bands by waiting around outside but he’s the only one to say hey you want to come on the bus? Really I was shocked! It was a nice bus!

[@darktetsuya]

admittedly never heard of him or that album but, yeah I believe it! definitely heard of my fair share of artists name-dropping videogames in their albums/lyrics/etc. so this story isn't a complete shock! (I mean hell, even former motorhead frontman lemmy killmeister was apparently a big megadrive/sonic fan?) also what a cool story.

[@GTV-Japan]

I heard Lenny loved video poker too.

[@Vulpas]

Neat little video.

[@DanHemsath]

My all-time favorite musician, truly. (Check out his Sid 'n' Suzie covers with Susanna Hoffs, BTW!) Glad I saw him in concert at the Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland. I don't normally go to concerts, but I made a point to see him there. I remember playing Altered Beast (the game) in the arcade at Disney World at the Caribbean Beach Resort (so many beaches...) when I was a kid, and pumped in so many quarters. Didn't beat it, there, but eventually did on the Genesis. Thank you for the awesome video! Oh, and awesome factoid about the Turbo Express! I always wanted one of those. I was just thrilled I got a TurboDuo during my lifetime. (And Air Zonk is awesome, Matt!)

[@GTV-Japan]

I always wanted and express too but even with 4 free games it was just too much money for what you could already have on the tv.

[@anthonyfrench3169]

I gotta be honest, I never knew he included anime in his music videos, maybe at the time I thought it was his own. Cool!! I'll be showing this to my Otaku friends like I did with Segata Sanshiro

[@GTV-Japan]

Awesome 👏

[@analogmoz]

What a fun video!

[@GTV-Japan]

It’s almost like the 90s is happening right now 😂

[@AndrewANIMETOYS]

Amazing video , thank you making this video

[@GTV-Japan]

Cheers! I actually made it 7 years ago but now it’s like a special edition, remastered the way the artist originally intended 📼

[@TBoneTony]

2:55 He is a fine man of culture. Considering he knew about old 80s Anime long before ADV were around, he knew what he liked in his music videos.

[@GTV-Japan]

He is the Lafcadio Hearn of the 90s!

[@completesentences2125]

Son of Altered Beast had a few bangers on it too.

[@GTV-Japan]

Yeah! Totally does!

[@thedailyruns6046]

Very underrated channel

[@GTV-Japan]

Just like 120 Minutes!

[@paprikastaude]

I thought people usually dissed this game? Might bury out one of those Megadrive collections now and try it.

[@eric12bee]

if you play it on the ps3 Genesis collection, beating lv1 unlocks the arcade version.

[@topherowlish]

That must have been a bit heart breaking for him in that interview. To be told directly to your face, your favorite game sucks on live TV.

[@GTV-Japan]

120 Minutes was never live! Most of the time I couldn’t even stay awake till midnight and just taped it. Especially in high school. There’s more after that where Lewis said call it Street Fighter 2! 😆

[@Cosmic_Powers]

I don't care what anyone says, Altered Beast is an amazing classic.

[@GTV-Japan]

It seems the defenders are coming out in full force!

[@duckhive]

I played the Genesis version to DEATH.... But I'll still play the Arcade version. It's really good.

[@GTV-Japan]

The arcade had scaling! Oooh 😲

[@damin9913]

I still play altered beast❤

[@GTV-Japan]

Power up! 💪

[@thewingedavenger1007]

Luckily it looks like Sega will soon be giving its IPs the attention and care that you give them!

[@GTV-Japan]

God let’s hope so.

[@TBoneTony]

"Rise from your Grave." That is how I respond if someone asked me about Altered Beast.

[@Hellwyck]

B-52s are also a huge band from Athens, Georgia.

[@GTV-Japan]

Yes they are! I used to play them on my old radio show a lot.

[@kevinxero]

The way the interviewer dropped "but that game sucks" 🤣

[@GTV-Japan]

Matt Pinfield would have never done that!

[@ADistantImage]

I'm so tired of people's irrational hatred for this game. It was well loved when I was a kid and at some point the timeline got wacked and now for no justifiable reason everyone trashes it by default. The art is great, the music is great, the setting is great, the concept is great, and it was very impressive for it's time. The worst thing you can say about it is the gameplay is simple, but it was literally the pack in, free title on Genesis. The first Genesis game. I mean give it a break.

[@GTV-Japan]

People hate it? Why?! I think there are people out there who just knock everything for no reason. But that transformation screen was truly the best graphics possible at the time. It was amazing. The game was good!

[@Sarcophagus74]

That one guy said Altered Beast sucked. It did not suck. Was it great? No. But it did NOT suck. Just sayin.

[@GTV-Japan]

Lewis Largent, Nintendoid confirmed!

[@CriticalEatsJapan]

This is pretty cool. Though to be honest, I know the name but I couldn't name a single song of his...

[@GTV-Japan]

Well I named a bunch, time for some research 🎶

[@napoleonfeanor]

Never heard about the musician. Maybe he wasn't as big in Europe...

[@GTV-Japan]

His most popular album only made it to #65 on the US charts. But we all know that the best music never makes it to #1

[@JustJulyo]

Love it!

[@Sarcophagus74]

Hey Gaijin. You should do a video on the history of Gradius. Don't think anyone has yet.

[@GTV-Japan]

There have been some but I did one on parodius!!

[@ikagura]

Despite that it aged kinda badly compared to Golden Axe and SoR but I really wished it got a proper remake...

[@GTV-Japan]

It did on PS2!!! 🙄

[@MrBelmontcain]

cool

[@apollosungod2819]

It is just so weird to see the video clip where the video jockey or interviewer is so ignorant about the Sega MegaDrive Altered Beast game by saying "it sucked" like before that game came out there were no other games like it on NEC PC-Engine in Japan, the Turbo GraFX 16 here and the NES... like seriously, Altered Beast even on the Sega Genesis one year later in 1989 had the largest character sprites, graphics, colors and was so close to the arcade version that you really had to stare at screenshots like those double image puzzles just to notice the differences... so yeah by 93 that guy is like "oh yeah that game sucks" but it's like he's missing the context... even Super Mario Bros was never a launch title of game software that was possible when the original hardware launched... blame the confusion on the North American fans who keep getting it confused... the NES was already two year old technology but they didn't know it right away. With Altered Beast it was literally a launch title in both countries and honestly there was just no way to make that game any better than it was. Oh yeah and more importantly is that Altered Beast screamed "not a kiddie game" here cause it did not have that NES graphics look.

[@GTV-Japan]

Later on in that interview he says why didn’t you just call it street fighter 2! 😂

[@pastpatour]

GTV could you make a vid telling more about your process of learning Japanese? Some funny stories maybe. That'd be cool.

[@GTV-Japan]

Sorry I don’t make those kinds of videos. But simply I just came here and picked it up.

[@Ratralsis]

Is this a remake of an old video, or did you leave Tails hanging in your DMs for seven years?

[@GTV-Japan]

It is a remake but as you can see I always reply!

[@goodall1bay]

Sent by the clownfish

[@GTV-Japan]

Do you mean the podcast Clownfish TV? They were talking about me? 🐠 🤔

[@goodall1bay]

@@GTV-Japan yes

[@GTV-Japan]

@goodall1bay that’s cool but I didn’t catch that. When was that??

[@goodall1bay]

@@GTV-Japan 3 days ago

[@GTV-Japan]

@goodall1bay ok I’ll look it up

[@NEStalgia1985]

Perfect Friday night with my bottle of scotch and some GTV..... clothing optional

[@FooPanda]

Truly no jacket required!

[@NEStalgia1985]

@@FooPanda birthday suit larrys

[@GTV-Japan]

…uh.

[@NEStalgia1985]

@@GTV-Japan yup uh, couldn't have said it better myself. Too damn muggy and hot in Boston tonight. Casting your new video and the wife and I are birthday suiting it due to the damn heat.....so muggy and hot on the top floor with the heat rising way to much tonight. Great vid btw

[@GTV-Japan]

@Retrogameplayer8000 jeez! Well I guess do what you gotta

[@LeonardGr]

I like Super Furry Animals

[@GTV-Japan]

Me too!

[@SUBTORR]

Altered Beast is a good game. That guy doing the interview is dumb.

[@GTV-Japan]

That guy was actually the program director of MTV for most of the 90s too so take that however you want.

[@thatdonparkerVODS]

This video was bad. (I asked my mom)