SEGA Talk Podcast #167: Sonic Advance 2 (2002)

Let’s return to the Game Boy Advance with the second installment of Sonic’s Advance adventures! We talk about the OTHER SA2, the addition of Cream the Rabbit and the changes the game makes to the previous Advance on SEGA TALK!

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Former SEGA arcade Akihabara GiGO 1 set to close at the end of August 2025 – New amusement center to take its place

Earlier this week, news broke that Akihabara Gigo 1, formerly an iconic SEGA arcade with a 32 year history, was set to close at the end of August 2025. The reason given was that the fixed-term lease on the building has expired. The location originally opened in 1992 under SEGA’s ownership as High Tech Land Sega Shintoku, and later was called Club Sega Akihabara and then Sega Akihabara 1. If you’re wondering, the “1” denotes that this was the first of five SEGA arcades in the area.

Sonic Racing: Crossworlds physical copies for Nintendo Switch 2 confirmed not to be Game Key-Cards; two new trailers uploaded

In a recent FAQ regarding, specifically, the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the upcoming Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, Sega confirmed the physical versions of the game will not be on a Game Key-Card. The entire base game will instead be built into a standard game card with no downloads required besides free patches as they come. This also makes it Sega’s first Nintendo Switch 2 game to not be sold in retail stores as a Game Key-Card. You can check here to see the other games they launched as Game Key-Cards and learn how those are different, and less desirable, from regular physical releases.

In addition, the physical Switch 2 version will not be available until early 2026, while the digital release will come on Holiday 2025. All other versions of the game will launch on September 25th, 2025 as planned.

In the very same FAQ, Sega also confirmed that the Nintendo Switch 1 version of the game, whether physical or digital, will include the option of a $10 USD purchase to upgrade to the Nintendo Switch 2 version later on. Using this upgrade option will also allow you to carry over any save data and paid DLC, including pre-order bonuses, from Switch to Switch 2 with ease. This should all serve as excellent news to anyone considering either the Switch or Switch 2 versions of the game.

At the same time, Sega have aired two new trailers, as well as shown some of their special pre-order DLC bonuses. Check in after the break to see those.

Retro-Bit announces new Undeadline Collector’s Cartridge for Genesis/Mega-Drive; pre-orders open until August 10th, 2025

When there’s an ultra-rare, ultra-expensive, and especially Japan exclusive shooter for Genesis/Mega-Drive, you can bet your bottom dollar that Retro-Bit will try to bring it to the western world as one of their Collector’s Cartridges, as they have done a few times before. This time, they’ve set their sights on the monster filled shmup known as Undeadline (1991).

Pre-orders have already begun in North America and Europe for this ghoulish shooter, which is at a big time bargain compared to trying to track down even a loose cartridge of the original Japanese copy of this cult Mega-Drive classic. This comes licensed from the current rights holder D4 Enterprise and with a brand new English translation made in cooperation with D4.

Come on down past the break for a closer look at this game and for pre-order links.

SEGA Talk #166: It’s Thinking – Dreamcast Marketing Campaign (1999)

On this episode of SEGA Talk, we’re diving headfirst into the Dreamcast’s iconic “It’s Thinking” marketing campaign! We’ll explore its development, massive multimedia push, and those unforgettable, often cryptic ads. Did it revolutionize console marketing or just leave us scratching our heads? All this, and more, on 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!

SONIC WEEKLY: Crossover Mania

Grant, Bo, and David are back in action with an edit from Smoovies and gameplay footage from Jack of old Games. This time, we talk about the various crossovers Sonic’s getting involved with, and reflect on Sonic Mania.

Find more episodes of SONIC WEEKLY on your podcast service of choice.

Fundraiser started to rescue and preserve hundreds of Sega 3DS and DS game prototypes before August 2025

Video game preservation organizations Obscure Gamers and Video Game Preservation Museum are in the midst of a public fundraiser to help them bring in £61K to rescue some 300 prototypes and showroom demos of classic Sega games on Nintendo DS and 3DS from becoming e-waste. This includes never-before-seen early builds of memorable DS/3DS Sega classics such as Sonic Colors DS, Sonic Generations 3DS, some Mario & Sonic Olympics games, and even a DS build of Project R, better known as Rhythm Thief & The Emperor’s Treasure, which would release on Nintendo 3DS instead of DS in 2012.

Sadly, even with multiple fundraisers set up to pool money, they have not made it far reaching their goal by now, and they must raise the necessary funds before the start of August 2025. Otherwise, they may not have another chance to rescue all this precious Sega history before it returns to the e-waste bins they were pulled from. There’s still plenty of time as of this writing, so it’s too soon to give up now. We encourage you to give whatever money you can spare to help with this noble preservation effort. Obscure Gamers have promised that your money can be refunded in August at your request if the fundraiser fails, so you at least have nothing to lose if they lose, other than tons of important information on the development of these games that could be documented online for all to see, as well as the digital rom files themselves for you to try out.

Links to the various fundraisers, as well as a list of every game prototype hanging in the balance, will be below the break here.

Join SEGA/ATLUS at Anime Expo 2025 for Panels, Performances, and More!

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Are you local in the L.A. area and attending this year’s Anime Expo? Be sure to stop by the convention center and join SEGA/ATLUS with several line-up of panels and activations for fans at the Los Angeles Convention Center Show Floor from July 3-6. The panels and activations includes:

  • COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can’t Sing Cheer Screening
  • HATSUNE MIKU: COLORFUL STAGE! Fan Meeting
  • The Official Persona5: The Phantom X Panel Featuring Lyn’s Live Performance
  • Persona Music Experience with Lyn Inaizumi
  • Like a Dragon/Yakuza Pool Party
  • SEGA/ATLUS Booth
  • Little Akihabara Pop-Up

More information on the SEGA/ATLUS AX25 lineup can be found below!

Gamescare announces a December 2025 release date for their new FPGA Genesis/32X console: the GF-1 Neptune

The Brazillian company GamesCare have announced a December 2025 release window for their hotly anticipated Genesis/32X hybrid FPGA console: the GF-1 Neptune. At the moment, pre-orders are not yet available and no price has been announced, though they have stated it will be average for consoles of this nature. Given the usual cost of most FPGA consoles, I would estimate somewhere in the ballpark of $200-300 USD, but we’ll see soon. (Expect tariffs to be an issue as well) They have also promised that crowdfunding will not be part of their plans.

This announcement was made public through GamesCare’s Twitter, along with a link to a signup page for their new email newsletter. You can sign up there to hear when more info comes out. The link will be right below the break.

Sega’s Japan exclusive Mega-Drive turn based strategy game The Hybrid Front receives a fan translation

Sega’s classic cyberpunk turn-based strategy game for Genesis/Mega-Drive, The Hybrid Front (1994), has finally been fan translated.

This translation was 7 years in the making, as the team of fans responsible, Nebulous Translations, had announced this translation back in 2018. Due to some difficulties with packing English text into the game’s visual interface, which was intrinsically designed for kanji-heavy Japanese to be written out vertically, the translation patch took a lot longer to put together in the team’s spare time. After much difficulty, a translation patch is now available for the public to download and try. The Hybrid Front and its surprisingly in depth story and dialogue for its time is now far more accessible to curious English speaking fans.

If your interested in trying it for yourself, strategize your way past the break for the download link.

Ichiban’s Holiday crossover DLC for Dave The Diver now available until 2027

 

The time limited Ichiban’s Holiday DLC for Dave the Diver, which facilitated a crossover with Like A Dragon’s Ichiban Kasuga meeting the crew at the Blue Hole in Dave the Diver, has had its timed availability extended. Originally only available from April 2025 until October 2025, it will now instead remain available for purchase on all platforms until the end of 2026. While we’d still much rather have this permanently available, It’s good to have a much larger window of opportunity to obtain the DLC to go with the game. Regardless, you will retain access to the DLC if you purchase it any time before it goes away. Ichiban’s Holiday will still set you back an extra $6.99 USD, but will occasionally go on sale, so keep it in your wishlist if you prefer to wait for a discount. (It’s already discounted on Steam, as part of the ongoing Steam Summer Sale.)

This bit of good news comes from a special video announcement for Dave the Diver’s 2nd anniversary celebration. In the video, it was stated that due to negative feedback from how quickly the DLC would be delisted, developer Mintrocket had convinced Sega and RGG Studio to allow them to keep this DLC available much longer than originally agreed upon. As an extra bit of good news, the free Godzilla DLC, which was delisted last year, is also back and available for free as before, and a sneak peek was also given at a new In The Jungle DLC expansion planned for 2026. The game and DLC are now also available on the Epic Games Store and a free Nintendo Switch 2 update is planned for the Nintendo Switch version.

You can view the video announcement right after the break below. (Turn on subtitles for RGG director Masayoshi Yokoyama’s congratulatory message to Mintrocket.)

New top-down Genesis/Mega-Drive shooter Sovietborgs now crowdfunding on Indiegogo

Developer Retro Sumus are back with an all-new action shooter coming to Genesis/Mega-Drive called Sovietborgs. Spaniard developer Retro Sumus were previously known for their amazing 3D Dreamcast shooter Xenocider, released in 2021. That game, one of the first fully 3D indie games on Dreamcast, was a visual tour-de-force and a great tribute to Space Harrier and Sin & Punishment. With Sovietborgs, they’ve set their sights not just on Genesis, but aim to bring the game to Dreamcast and even MS-DOS and Neo-Geo. Quite the ambitious project indeed, and they’ve brought Sovietborgs to IndieGogo for the funding needed to make it happen.

Sovietborgs leverages pre-rendered 3D graphics, much like Vectorman or Sonic 3D Blast, to bring you into an alternate reality in which the Soviet Union became the dominant civilization following the Cold War. You’ll be controlling three mercenaries called “Sovietborgs” all at once to wipe out all the vicious mutants in every level. The game will play like a top-down shooter, but there are in-between levels more like a horizontal scrolling shmup as well. The music is inspired by the Strike trilogy and Command & Conquer: Red Alert and composed by the same Juanjo Martin who composed the music for Xenocider.

If you’re just itching to throw money at this game’s Indiegogo and get a copy of the game in the process following its completion, then journey on down past the break and find out what to expect from this campaign.

Hasbro Announces MAGIC: THE GATHERING SECRET LAIR x SONIC THE HEDGEHOG Collaboration

Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast and SEGA announced today a Magic: The Gathering Secret Lair x Sonic the Hedgehog collaboration featuring three distinct Secret Lair drops inspired by the Sonic universe. The collaboration takes Sonic and Magic: The Gathering fans on a lightning-fast trip to meet some of SEGA’s iconic Sonic characters, reimagined as Magic: The Gathering cards.

Each drop will be on sale in regular ($29.99) and foil ($39.99) editions available for purchase on MagicSecretLair.com starting at 9 a.m. PT on July 14, while supplies last. Check out more details on each drop below!