A new independently developed spiritual successor to Sega Rally Championship is now available to wishlist on Steam. Don’t get too excited though. I say “Wishlist” because the game is not available to purchase, pre-order, or download right now, at least from Steam anyway. Check in after the break and I will explain this.
Another Dreamcast game has had it’s online multiplayer mode reinstated thanks to Dreamcast Live. Daytona USA 2001 (Known in North America as simply Daytona USA) is now back online through the Dreamcast Live service, thanks to the efforts of a new member of their team called Ioncannon. This makes Daytona USA the 25th Dreamcast game supported on Dreamcast Live. (26th if you count the all new game Driving Strikers, from my last article.) This is fantastic news for fans of the game, especially considering the game had a few unlockable cars only attainable by playing online.
Take a rolling start past the break for more info.
How’s this for an impressive new leap in Dreamcast indie game development? All new Dreamcast car soccer game (Think Rocket League, but played from an overhead camera perspective), Driving Strikers, is now finally available to purchase as both a physical game package and as a digital download from WAVE Game Studios. Built around the modern Dreamcast online infrastructure Dreamcast Live, which I have detailed in an earlier article, Driving Strikers can be played online through that service either with an original modem adaptor and DreamPi or an official Dreamcast broadband adapter. To celebrate the occasion, WAVE Game Studios is currently selling the game at a discounted price of £19.99 ($25.66 USD as of this writing).
Some of you may even remember Driving Strikers as the one Dreamcast game from the recent Homebrew Games Summer Showcase. Looks like it made it in after all.
For more info, break in after the check.
On June 27th, 2023, Sega added Crusader of Centy, Ghouls n’ Ghosts, Landstalker, and The Revenge of Shinobi to Sega Genesis – Nintendo Switch Online. Japan, of course, gets the same four games at the same time.
All four games are immediately accessible to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers following a quick patch update to the app. For more info on each game, check in after the break for a synopsis on each game.
Live video showcases of new video games are all the rage now ever since Nintendo debuted their popular Nintendo Direct showcase over a decade ago. Many large companies are doing their own showcases now, including Sega with their new Sonic Central showcases. There are a few indie showcases as well, but this is gonna be one to watch for retro gaming enthusiasts, especially as it’s confirmed that some of the games showcased will be for Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive, Master System, and Dreamcast.
Make sure to sign up for a notification for the above video’s premiere, taking place this Thursday, June 29th 2023 at 12:30 PM PST. After the break though, you’ll see more information about the consoles confirmed to have games shown.
Guess who’s back with more officially licensed collector’s edition reprints of valuable Genesis/Mega-Drive classics? Retro-Bit have just announced their latest project with Edia Co., the current rights holders to the back catalog from Renovation: Special Edition reprints of El Viento and Sol-Deace. Pre-orders for North America are now open from Limited Run Games and Castlemania Games. European Mega-Drive fans can pre-order both from 8BitMods, Arcade Dreams, Dragon Box Shop, Nedgame, RetroCables.es, and Spel & Sant. Wherever you get them from, act before July 30th 2023, when pre-orders close, as this will be the only run for both, like with all other Retro-Bit collector’s edition reprints.
EDIT: More European retailers have opened pre-orders for both games: Funstock, Just For Games, Strictly Limited Games, and Xtralife. The Sol-Deace pre-order page on Castlemania Games has also gone offline, probably due to a temporary error. Keep checking if you really want to buy it there.
You can check out Retro-Bit’s official website for El Viento and Sol-Deace for the most up-to-date information on pre-orders and links to pre-order as well as to scope out their FAQ on both games. To hear more about each game and see pre-order links, check in after the break.
Since last year, retro game musician legend Yuzo Koshiro and his game development studio Ancient have been hard at work on an all new scrolling shooter for Genesis/Mega-Drive consoles, their first game for the classic 16-bit platform since Beyond Oasis (The Story of Thor outside of North America) from 1994. As of June 16th, 2023, Koshiro-san has finally revealed the decided upon title for this new game: Earthion. Along with that, he has also shared some new video footage of the game’s title screen and opening level. Looks cool, doesn’t it?
Of course, if you have been following Yuzo Koshiro on twitter like we have (And we do recommend it if you are still on twitter) you will know this is not the only sneak preview Koshiro-san has shown for Earthion throughout the months. Come see some more of them after the break.
We all love new games for Sega hardware. Well, here’s another one for ya. Mega Slow Mole is an ultra-difficult, precision platformer being developed by SlowMoleStudio for the Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive. SlowMoleStudio was formed by accomplished animator and filmmaker, Erik Rosenlund, who also animated the claymation trailer for the original NES Slow Mole game. You can see some of his animations on his YouTube page. His 12-year-old son, Linus Rosenlund, created the soundtrack and is currently working on Mega Slow Mole’s soundtrack as well.
This is the latest in their series of Slow Mole games, which started on NES with Slow Mole. Mega Slow Mole is planned to launch sometime within 2023, but SlowMoleStudio has already launched a free demo ROM on their itch.io page, where their earlier Slow Mole games are also available. The full game is already available in beta form on itch.io for $12 USD (Currently on sale at $8.40 as of this writing). Paying for the beta ROM should entitle you to any updated ROM files in the future. Future updates will include more levels and music, along with some secret screens. A physical cartridge release is also planned, but no information is currently available on that yet.
Check out some extra screenshots after the break.
Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis is preparing its biggest, most substantial update yet with PSO2 NGS Ver. 2, no separate disc purchases required this time. NGS Ver. 2 launches as a free update to the game on all available platforms on June 7th.
Starting on that date, NGS players will have access to Ver. 2’s biggest new feature: Creative Spaces, an expansion on the Personal Room feature from PSO2 that was originally introduced in Phantasy Star Universe. This allows players to put together their personal living space, with much more room for creativity than ever before. Other features include a new Jet Set Radio-style Toon Shading graphical feature, which is also highly customizable as well as optional, Portable Holograms for decorating the open field environments with new graffiti, items, and furniture, new ultra challenging enemy types and quest difficulties, and, of course, the start of Chapter 6 of the game’s story mode.
There is also an all new Sonic the Hedgehog birthday celebration event and a surprising new media collaboration on the horizon for June. I will save the latter for beyond the break, so temper your excitement until then. Rest assured though, if you haven’t jumped into NGS, but have been interested, this will be an excellent time to hop in and join the fun.
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.
Back in April, I reported on Vshojo star Kson becoming a finalist in RGG Studio’s hostess grand prix and being awarded a hostess role in Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name, alongside 4 other lucky women. Well, now that contest is finally over and Kson has taken home the grand prize, coming out just two points ahead of the runner up. She now gets the prestigious honor of not just being a hostess in Like A Dragon Gaiden, but also that upcoming game’s follow-up, Like A Dragon 8.
Moreover, the five finalists, including Kson, will be represented in Gaiden though live-action video footage, much like in the gravure photography mini-game from Yakuza Kiwami 2. Kson, as the grand prize winner, will have her real self recreated as a 3D model in Like A Dragon 8, like every other major hostess in the entire series. Look forward to seeing, and speaking to, her 3D representation in Like A Dragon 8, which does not yet have a firm release date as of this writing. Like A Dragon Gaiden is still on track to launch on PS5, PS4, Xbox, and PC within 2023.
To learn more about who Kson is and why her inclusion in the Like A Dragon series is so significant, check out my earlier article discussing her inclusion in Like A Dragon Gaiden. Tell us how hyped you are by this news in the comments too.
Special thanks, once again, goes to Sakura Ch. for their translation of the above clip from the official RGG livestream announcing the winner and detailing Kson’s new hostess role. Of course, I also heartily congratulate Kson on this milestone on behalf of SegaBits. (EDIT: Sakura Ch. deleted their clip from the livestream. I have replaced it with a screenshot of the tweet from VShojo congratulating Kson.)
Recently, RGG Studio revealed the five winners among a group of women who auditioned to appear as hostesses in the upcoming Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. This is something they have done many times for earlier Like A Dragon/Yakuza games, with the winners usually consisting of actual hostesses, gravure models, and even porn actresses. This time, one of the five finalists is especially significant. Well known Vshojo idol, and longtime Like A Dragon fan, Kson was ceremoniously confirmed to be among the new hostesses in Like A Dragon Gaiden, much to her excitement and the excitement of many diehard fans of hers.
Find out more about who Kson is after the break.
Special thanks to Sakura Ch. for their translation of the above clip from RGG Studio’s official livestream where the five wining actresses were revealed. (EDIT: Sakura Ch. has deleted their clip. I’ve replaced it with a tweet from the RGG Studios Japanese twitter showcasing the winners. Kson is on the top right.)
Many of you probably remember the announcement of Harlequest!, a brand new action RPG in development for Sega Dreamcast that is now live on Kickstarter. As of this writing, there are 5 days remaining for the Kickstarter to raise as much money as possible.
Since I have written that article, I have gotten the opportunity to speak with the game’s main creator, Ross Kilgariff (ross:codes) to learn more about him and the inspirations behind Harlequest! Check in after the break to hear more from the man himself. Special thanks goes to Ross for reaching out to us for this opportunity.
On April 18th, 2023, Sega added Flicky, Kid Chameleon, Pulseman, and Street Fighter II: Special Championship Edition to Sega Genesis – Nintendo Switch Online. This is the first update to the NSO Sega Genesis collection for 2023. Japan, of course, gets the same four games at the same time.
All four games are immediately accessible to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers following a quick patch update to the app. For more info on each game, check in after the break for a synopsis on each game.
Steel Empire is back again! Just announced by Strictly Limited Games, Steel Empire Chronicles was just announced for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, containing the 1992 Sega Genesis original (known as Empire of Steel on Mega-Drive in Europe), the Game Boy Advance version from 2005, the remake that was released on Nintendo 3DS back in 2014 and then on Steam in 2018, and even the NES shooter Over Horizon, developed by the same original developers of Steel Empire and released the year prior exclusively in Japan and Europe.
So far, this game is not released on the Nintendo eShop or the PlayStation store and no release date is given yet. The game is only available currently in physical form and will soon be up for pre-order at Strictly Limited’s online store. This includes a standard and collectors edition of both the Switch and PS4 versions as well as new physical cartridges of the original Steel Empire on Genesis/Mega-Drive and Over Horizon for NES, with an NTSC and PAL version of both games sold separately. All these items are in limited quantities.
Check in after the break for more information about this new release.