New Phøde ODE, supporting Dreamcast, Saturn, Sega CD, and more, launches pre-orders

Phøde ODE

If you’re looking for a device to play your digitized disc backups of your favorite Sega console classic games, then look no further than the Phøde, a brand new Optical Drive Emulator created by engineer Fixel. This single device supports almost every CD-Rom based game console from the 90’s, not just including the Sega CD (Models 1 and 2, Genesis CDX, and JVC X’Eye), Saturn (Both the 20 and 21-pin models), and the GD-Rom based Dreamcast (Models VA0, VA1, and VA2), but also various models of the Sony PlayStation and even the Philips CD-I, with more to be announced later. Fixel has just launched pre-orders for the Phøde in batches from their website. Batch 1 is still available, as of this writing, at $249.99 USD.

Check in after the break for extra info.

Final pre-order run of Analogue Mega SG coming on Oct. 28th

In a brand new announcement from Analogue, the creators of FPGA consoles like the Mega SG and the Analogue Pocket, their last ever pre-order run of the Mega SG will take place on October 28th. After this, there will be no more. This will also be your last chance to order a Super NT from Analogue, which is their FPGA Super Nintendo clone. Both will be available for $199, excluding shipping, and will ship in “Q4 2023”. 

SEGA Talk Podcast #98: Rise of the Dragon (1990)

On this SEGA Talk, we pop Rise of the Dragon into our SEGA CD and give it a spin. Is this cyberpunk adventure a hidden gem or a poor man’s Snatcher? How does the SEGA CD version compare to the DOS original? And what’s the background on developer Dynamix? Let’s find out!

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at the end and more!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download]

If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

No Foolin’: Limited Run Games releasing SEGA CD “classic” Kid’s On Site to PlayStation 4

Thanks to Screaming Villains and Limited Run Games, the Digital Pictures 1994 FMV “classic” Kids On Site will be releasing physically to the PlayStation 4 in standard and collector’s edition releases. The release joins other Digital Pictures remasters from Screaming Villains including Night Trap, Double Switch, Corpse Killer and Ground Zero Texas.

Read the product details after the break, and be sure to pre-order your copy to show your support for Digital Pictures remasters (even if it’s an oddball title like this one).

SEGA Talk #70: Snatcher (1994)

This time on SEGA Talk, George and Barry dive deep into the cult classic Konami visual novel Snatcher, directed and written by video game legend Hideo Kojima. This episode is dedicated to all those cyberpunks who fight against injustice and corruption every day of their lives.

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at the end and more!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – RSS – Download]

If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

Ground Zero Texas – Nuclear Edition Revives SEGA CD Classic – Announced for PS4 and Steam

Screaming Villains, who released HD ports of Night Trap, Double Switch and Corpse Killer – FMV games made famous on the SEGA CD – is back at it with an HD release of Ground Zero Texas.

The game will release digitally March 2nd, 2021 to PlayStation 4 and Steam, and there will be a physical Limited Run Games release which will be available for pre-order on January 22, 2021. We can assume there will be both standard and collector’s editions as they have gone for the previous games.

Corpse Killer getting physical PS4 release by Limited Run Games

Corpse Killer, a early live action full motion video game for the SEGA CD, SEGA Saturn, SEGA 32X, and 3DO is coming back on PlayStation 4. The game was announced via Limited Run Games live show, which means its getting a physical version. The game is being brought to us by the same people that have done the past Digital Picture re-releases, Screaming Villains,

The game hasn’t gotten a solid release date outside of Q3 2019, but can we expect a October release? What are your thoughts?

Analogue Mega SG to Include Unreleased Title Ultracore from Battlefield Developers

Analogue’s FPGA Mega Drive/Genesis console, the Mega Sg is giving would be owners an additional bonus built into the console. A pack in title! Hardcore, a side-scrolling shooter in the vein of other European shooters such as the Turrican series, was developed by Digital Illusions who have since changed their name to DICE. (Who went on to become famous for the Battlefield series.) Due to the impending arrival of disc based consoles in 1994, the publisher of the game, Psygnosis decided to cancel the title despite being slated for release on Amiga, Mega Drive, Genesis and SEGA CD, with the Mega Drive/Genesis version being nearly ready for shipment. However due to legal issues, Analogue states on their website the game will be renamed to Ultracore. The game content will remain the same.

Double Switch remaster for PlayStation 4 now available to pre-order from Limited Run Games

Screaming Villains is offering up another FMV classic following the successful remaster of Night Trap. Double Switch, seen by many as an attempt to improve and perfect the Night Trap formula, is now available to pre-order from Limited Run Games for the PlayStation 4. Unlike most Limited Run Games releases, the standard edition is a timed pre-order window with no stock limit. You’ll have until November 16th to pre-order. Meanwhile, there is a limited collector’s edition which, at the time of this posting, is 50% sold out. You can pre-order that here!

SEGA fans know this game best for its SEGA CD version, but the remaster will put that one to shame with crystal clear video and improved gameplay, as well as bonus content.

We spoke to Tyler, head of Screaming Villains, on a Swingin’ Report Show podcast. You can check that episode out here!

Celebrating Sonic the Hedgehog’s 25th anniversary with 25 great underrated moments

sonic 25 headerSEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog franchise turns 25 today, and while we’ve celebrated franchise milestone years in the past, there is something really special about this one. A quarter of a century is a long time, and it is a testament to SEGA’s perseverance and the devotion of the Sonic fanbase that the franchise is still going strong. Sonic Lost World and the Sonic Boom franchise – particularly the games – are often pinpointed as the franchise’s recent weak points and signs that the franchise as a whole needs to be put down or at the very least take a long break. While I am not here to debate the merits of Sonic Lost World and Sonic Boom, I will say that to end a series or take a long break because of either is both incredibly shortsighted and far too extreme a reaction. I would also argue that Sonic is about much more than just the main series games, as fans like to label the major titles, and that there has always been great Sonic things happening even during the franchise’s darkest years.

In celebration of 25 years of Sonic the Hedgehog, join me in looking back year-by-year as I shine the light on great moments in Sonic history that more people need to be talking about.

Infamous SEGA CD game ‘Desert Bus’ getting a sequel with VR support

DesertBusSEGACDDesert Bus has become a infamous game not only due to never having a official release, but universally being known as the ‘most boring game ever’ by many online publications. Is this an insult to the game? Nah. The game was a mini-game that was set to release in a compilation called Penn & Teller’s Smoke and Mirrors back in 1995 and was purposely mean’t to recreate a endless feeling  when driving through the Nevada desert.

Jillette announced the game via this weeks episode of Penn’s Sunday School:

“I’m working with Randy Pitchford. This is not announced publicly. We are going to do a€ —” this is a big, big deal —€” a new Desert Bus. And it’s just going to be for charities, so charities can use it to raise money.”

“He’s calling it Desert Bus 2.0. I’m calling it Desert Bus 1.0003. It’ll be a period piece, it’ll be set in 1992, like the original Desert Bus, just high-fidelity. We’re doing a couple other games. It’ll be a bundle of things. We’re talking to a bunch of people. It’ll probably be agnostic in terms of platform. It’ll probably be for the [Oculus] Rift and for the PlayStation VR.””

Yes, he is working with infamous CEO of Gearbox Software Randy Pitchford who is responsible for great titles like Alien: Colonal Marines and Duke Nukem Forever. While we all know the game is mean’t to be boring, its nice he is doing it for charity.

What do you guys think?

The History of Sega Japan R&D, Part 2: The 90s Golden Age

THE NUMBER ONE ARCADE ENTERPRISE

The Model series of arcade hardware by Yu Suzuki in co-operation with Lockhead Martin, where the next step in the Sega arcade world. Virtua Fighter sold Sega Saturns in Japan.

The Model series of arcade hardware by Yu Suzuki in co-operation with Lockhead Martin, where the next step in the Sega arcade world. Virtua Fighter sold Sega Saturns in Japan.

In Part 1, we looked at Sega’s origins and their Japanese game development during the 80s. In Part 2 we turn our attention to the golden age, when Sega was fought in the console wars and arcades were in full-force globally. Throughout the 90s, Sega would really grow up and mature and have individual divisions, splitting into arcade and consumer software and product development. Many of the programmers, designers and planners of the 80s and earlier would become managers and producers of their own divisions.
Let’s start Part 2 off with the growth of their AM studios, which is short for Amusement Machine Research and Development.

BlitWorks tells fans to continue asking SEGA for Shenmue and Jet Set Radio Future HD ports

ShenmueHD
Spanish video game website GameSpek recently interviewed the Barcelona, Spain based company responsible for many ports, including SEGA fan favorite Jet Set Radio.

As we all know, before the Shenmue III E3 2015 announcement, the on again/off again Shenmue franchise was constantly surrounded in a wide array of rumors, some concerning ports or high definition remakes of the first two games having been started on, or even fully completed. These rumors never came to fruition, but now we have some official insight into the status of these Shenmue ports. Says BlitWorks:

“Then we thought it would be a good idea to showcase Sonic CD, Jet Set Radio and Shenmue working on the emulators to Sega, with the prospect of a commercial release for the consoles of that time. They showed interest in Sonic CD and Jet Set Radio“.

When asked if they had anything else to say to fans, BlitWorks said:

Thanks to you! We would like to tell SEGA games fans that they don’t cease to ask for ports of great games like Shenmue or Jet Set Radio Future, we are the first ones that would like to port these games. In change.org or similar webs there are several requests about that.

They also discuss Jet Set Radio‘s removal from iOS, and more. Check out the full interview here.

Hit Reset sharpens his skills in Wild Woody for the SEGA CD

This time on Hit Reset, we take a look at a long forgotten footnote in SEGA’s history, a mascot platformer by the name of Wild Woody. Barely remembered at its release and even less remembered now, Wild Woody is generally considered to be one of the worst platformers ever made during the era.

However, I see things just a little bit differently. Wild Woody has some things no other game ever had, for better or worse. So, if you wanna learn what in the hell this odd platformer is, or watch me defent a notoriously bad game, well, this is your shot, and trust me, i have quite a bit of help to do this…

Thanks to Joesph Kerska (the real, original voice of Woody), Bumblefoot (the game’s composer), and everyone else who helped make this video far better then it had any right to be.

Like this video? Subscribe to the SEGAbits YouTube channel, and make sure to check out more of my videos!

My Life with SEGA becomes a Junker in Hideo Kojima’s Snatcher for SEGA CD

That’s right, SEGA fans! Andrew Rosa is finally reviewing one of the most sought after SEGA CD titles ever produced, Hideo Kojima’s Snatcher! The cyber-punk graphic adventure’s yet to see an English translation since its appearance on SEGA CD, and very few copies were produced, so there’s no denying that Snatcher‘s value to gamers and collectors alike is exceptionally high. Join Andrew as he examines Hideo Kojima’s sophomore effort.

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Next week on “My Life with SEGA”: the premiere of the short film “Nothing Else Matters”, the follow-up to “Theater of the Eye”. After the break check out a teaser trailer!