Under the microscope: Stormlord

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Stormlord was originally published for the ZX Spectrum and other 8-bit PCs by Hewson Consultants in 1989. A Genesis version, produced by RazorSoft and Punk Development, followed in 1991.

The console version of Stormlord is noticeably different from its PC counterparts in one striking way: there’s no nudity. In the game, you play as the Viking hero StormLord, rescuing fairy princesses from a dastardly antagonist. StormLord doesn’t wear much clothing, but the fairy princesses are entirely naked in the original artwork. In the Genesis edition, they’re covered up (albeit minimally).

In an excellent interview from 2019 in Gaming Alexandria, Genesis version programmer Kevin Seghetti said this about the game:

[We] did put a cheat code system in the game, so that we could release codes after the game came out (a method to keep getting your game mentioned in the magazines of the time). One of the codes removes the clothes from the fairies, revealing the original artwork. Razorsoft specified this as well. I vaguely recall we may have removed that particular cheat code before we shipped.

Did they actually remove this cheat code? No – it remained in the retail cartridge. I found it in the game data, along with another cheat code that managed to stay secret for the last 35 years. Details on these new codes and how they work are below!

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Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds x Avatar Legends Pack Available Now!

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Today, SEGA officially launched the Avatar Legends Pack for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, bringing Aang and Katara, inspired by the iconic franchise, to the track. From Thursday, October 15, at 5:00 PM PT through Sunday, October 18, at 4:59 PM PT, fans can jump into the Avatar Legends festival and earn festival points to unlock decals, gadgets and more. The Avatar Legends Pack includes the following:

  • Aang and Katara as playable characters

  • The Gliding Air Vehicle

  • Lion Turtle Island Course

  • New Avatar Legends-inspired Music Tracks:

    • Lion Turtle Island: Intro

      • Jukebox Only

    • Lion Turtle Island

    • Lion Turtle Island: Final Lap

    • Avatar Legends: Character Select

      • Jukebox Only

    • Avatar Legends: Results

      • Jukebox Only

Players who own the Digital Deluxe Edition will automatically receive the Avatar Legends Pack as part of the Season Pass. The full Season Pass is also available separately for $29.99 USD, offering access to even more exciting characters, vehicles and courses. Additionally, players can purchase the standalone Avatar Legends Pack for $5.99 USD.

Players who do not own the Avatar Legends Pack can still compete online against those who do, including racing on the Lion Turtle Island course against the Avatar Legends characters.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is available now both digitally and physically on PlayStation®5 (PS5®), PlayStation®4 (PS4®), Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC starting at $69.99 USD and on Nintendo Switch™, Nintendo Switch™- OLED Model, Nintendo Switch™ Lite starting at $59.99 USD. The Nintendo Switch 2 Edition is also available digitally and physically for players at $69.99 USD.

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Here’s everything coming to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Year Two DLC

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This past weekend, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds crowned its first World Champion following an exciting and highly competitive World Championship Finals. Over the summer, more than 40,000 players worldwide competed in the Online Qualifiers, all vying for one of 24 spots in the 2026 World Championship. The 24 finalists, representing countries including the United States, Mexico, Japan, Great Britain, France, Spain, and more, traveled to New York City to compete on the CrossWorlds tracks. After four hours of intense racing, Exponso from Mexico emerged victorious, claiming the title of World Champion!

During the World Championship Finals livestream, SEGA also unveiled a detailed roadmap for Year Two of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, which officially kicks off on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.

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SEGA Talk #194: Shinobi Legions (1995)

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On this SEGA Talk, we are NEW and in LIVE ACTION with the SEGA Saturn game Shinobi Legions! How does this game connect to the series? Who developed it? And why do the brits say they have the superior version? FIND OUT on SEGA TALK HI-YAH!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download]

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!

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Under the microscope: Shaq Fu

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Shaq Fu, the 1994 Genesis game from Delphine Software, lets players experience the dream of the 1990s: to become basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal as he battles an evil mummy from an alternate dimension.That’s right: Shaq Fu is a 2D fighting game, not a basketball game. I approve – it’s great when pop culture figures star in unexpected genre games. Should the Wu-Tang Clan be in a tournament fighting game? Absolutely. Should Aerosmith be in a light gun game? Definitely. I only regret that there was never a Seinfeld-themed beat-’em-up.

I found a previously-unpublished cheat code for this game. You can use it to speed Shaq’s progress through the Second World and get him back to the First World in time to play in the big charity game. Details are below!

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SEGA Teams Up with Round1 Bowling & Arcade to Launch New Limited Time Sonic Collaboration

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Today, SEGA and Round1 announced an exclusive Sonic the Hedgehog collaboration, launching October 21st at 10 A.M. PT at Round1 USA venues nationwide, for a limited time only. The collection features original artwork of Sonic and friends enjoying Round1’s iconic activities.

The collaboration includes:

  • Limited-Edition Sonic the Hedgehog Club Cards (2 Designs)

  • Exclusive Acrylic Keychains

  • Sonic the Hedgehog Collaboration Food & Drinks with 12 Mystery Character Coasters

  • Collector’s Edition Drink Cups (2 Designs)

  • Character Sticker featuring Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Shadow

  • Exclusive Playmats (2 Designs)

  • 5-Piece Stationery Set (Notebook, Pen, Sticker, Correction Pen, and Ruler)

  • Limited-Edition Blanket

  • Round1 USA Exclusive Sonic Crane Items

Stay tuned for additional details, and follow socials @Round1USA for additional details coming soon!

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Interview with Satoshi Yokokawa: New Sonic 3 and Mecha Sonic Mk. II info revealed

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Sega Retro interviewer Ashley Rojas has published an in-depth interview with Satoshi Yokokawa, the Sonic Team artist behind Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles‘ enemies and bosses. The interview follows Yokokawa from his 1991 hiring at Sega CS1, where his first project was the Toshokan title 16t, to his transfer to the Sega Technical Institute in California for the development of Sonic 3. Yokokawa explains the thinking behind the game’s distinctive enemy designs and reveals the inspirations behind Mecha Sonic Mk. II‘s character designs. The interview goes on to cover his transition to 3D on Saturn titles like World Advanced Daisenryaku, the Gigas bosses of Eternal Arcadia, and his freelance work with Treasure on games including Astro Boy: Omega Factor, Gunstar Super Heroes, and Bangai-O Spirits.

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Sonic 35th Art Show Collection Art Prints On Sale – Only Available Until Oct. 20 Through iam8bit

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Today, iam8bit is excited to announce that original artwork and prints from the 35 Years of Speed: The Sonic Art Exhibit are available to order today on iam8bit.com through October 20. For fans of Sonic around the world who were unable to attend the art exhibits, this is their chance to collect a piece of the magic and bring it home.

One-of-a-kind original works from the show will be available, starting at $40 and up, while fans looking for print versions of the art at $15 and up will have many options via open order Timed Editions available to them on iam8bit’s website. Featuring a range of lovable characters, scenarios and reimagined depictions from across the history of SEGA’s Sonic The Hedgehog, there’s truly something for every fan found throughout this art collection.

The Timed Editions of each print will be available to order until October 20. Once that date passes they will be gone forever, so fans interested in owning a piece of Sonic the Hedgehog history will want to move fast.

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Exclusive Tom Payne interview: New details about Sonic 2 and Sega Technical Institute

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Ashley Rojas has conducted a new interview with Sega Technical Institute artist Tom Payne, most known for his role as one of three American artists assigned to Sonic the Hedgehog 2. In this interview, Tom reveals never-before-heard development information, including being brought onto the project, new details on Genocide City Zone, memories about working with his Japanese coworkers, and even how the dinosaur enemies later placed in Hidden Palace Zone came from his first week at the studio. He also expands on his contributions to titles like Sonic Spinball and Spinny & Spike, later recounting his career after leaving Sega and up to the present day.

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SEGA Talk #193: Sonic Heroes (2003)

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Get ready to dust off your team formations and brace yourself for some seriously slippery physics, because on this episode of SEGA Talk, we are diving headfirst into Sonic Heroes. We are breaking down everything from its chaotic, multi-platform growing pains and that massive ensemble cast to the brutal industry crunch that nearly broke director Takashi Iizuka. Hit that speed dash, grab your rings, and let’s jump right into this episode of SEGA….TALK!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download]

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!

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SEGA Unveils New STRANGER THAN HEAVEN Info for Key Characters, Show Business; Pre-Orders Now Open!

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SEGA and RGG Studio recently pulled back the curtain on some of the pivotal cast of characters starring in the upcoming action-adventure saga STRANGER THAN HEAVEN, launching January 15, 2027 for Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, Steam and PlayStation 5.

From 1915 to 1965, Makoto Daito fights to survive across five cities in search of a place to call home. Born to an American father and a Japanese mother, he doesn’t belong fully to either country.  As he carves out a life during a turbulent age, he tumbles into the orbits of characters carrying their own ambitions, convictions and pasts. Players will follow Daito, his close friend Shinjo and the many lives drawn into their gravity as fates converge.

Check out character, showbiz, and pre-order details below!

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Under the microscope: FIFA Soccer 96

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We talk sometimes about how cheat sites like GameFAQs have quality control issues. Lots of games have bogus codes listed. Some are incorrectly transcribed, some are actually for other games, and some are totally made up.

Some of the codes for the Genesis version of FIFA Soccer 96 are bogus. Neither of these work, for example:

EA Dream Team: Press A(2), B(2), C(2), B, C(2), A(2) at the options screen.

Super Power: Press B, A, B(2), C, B, A, C, B(4) at the options screen.

What species of bogus are they? It turns out they’re incorrectly transcribed. As we’ll see below, they’re close to right – but not quite.

While I was looking into this, I found several other cheat codes for this game that I don’t think have been documented before. Furthermore, I found nearly identical codes for FIFA 97: Gold Edition. Read on for details!

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