I love Shinobi 3: Return of the Ninja Master. In my opinion it was easily one of the best games SEGA ever made for the Genesis. Needless to say, when I heard the series was finally getting a new game, I was ecstatic…and a little worried. After all, after the series hit its high point with Shinobi 3, it’s been subjected to some less than stellar games through the likes of Shinobi Legions and Shinobi PS2. I am happy to report that this game isn’t like those games; unlike them, Shinobi 3DS does indeed have a bunch of things in common with the Genesis games, including a few very obvious throwbacks.
One of the best things about the SEGA Saturn is it’s wide array of exclusives. While Dreamcast lost many of its best exclusives to its competitors shortly after it died, the exodus of Saturn exclusives has been painfully slow. A port here, a remake there, but nothing like the sort of treatment that Dreamcast, Genesis, and even Game Gear/Master System libraries got after SEGA’s departure from the console business. Heck, when a Saturn game does get ported, it doesn’t even get localized much of the time. Why the general lack of porting or emulation? Well, according to Panzer Dragoon series director Yukio Fatatsugi, it’s because SEGA has misplaced the source code for many of their Saturn games, meaning that many games now on the Saturn will never see the light of day on another console unless they are completely rebuilt from the ground up, something that is probably unlikely to happen.
Hey, a gamer can dream, right? Here are five Saturn titles that I think should see the light of day on modern consoles, whether it be a port, emulation, or a total remake for a retail release. Since I recently wrote an entire article demanding an Astal remake, and since Guardian Heroes is now going to be the latest Saturn title to make the leap, obviously those won’t be counted.
One of the things that really held the Saturn back from commercial success was the general lack of continuity between SEGA’s franchises on the Genesis and their franchises on the Saturn. The Saturn was home to many great, original franchises, but only a surprisingly small handful of genuine Genesis sequels. These are five franchises the Saturn should have gotten.
According to a TotalVideoGames interview with Mario & Sonic developers, a share of the profits from the next Mario and Sonic game will be going towards funding the London 2012 Olympics.
In addition to this, they also gave details on two dream events that will be in the game:
In the case of Yoshi’s Island – I mean Dream Long Jump – we came up with this idea of having four characters racing with each other and hopping on the clouds, so we felt that that location would suit it best.
In a recent interview with TotalVideoGames.com, Mario and Sonic Chief Producer Osamu Ohashi talked about the prospect of teaming up with Nintendo to make another F-Zero game.
It might happen, if someone comes up with a brilliant idea that would make both Nintendo and SEGA happy. If there’s a good idea, that will work for both of us, then we might do that. But as far as we know, we haven’t heard of any concrete plan or project that’s going on
I think I speak for every SEGA fan when I say I don’t think I’d be interested in another F-Zero game without SEGA’s involvement. F-Zero GX was a perfection of the futuristic racer genre, and I would love to see SEGA have another crack on it…especially if it’s on the 3DS or the upcoming “Project Cafe”.
[Special Note: Today’s screens are from the website MobyGames and VGChartz. Due to Astal’s age and obscurity, MobyGames’ own screen captures are the most extensive collection available. For now.]
This week’s Sequel Saturday is going to be somewhat different from past entries. For one, this article will be asking for a remake, not a sequel. Rather than asking for sweeping changes in game play, I will be addressing things I would like to see improved in an Astal remake, and how I’d like it to be sold. Now let’s get started, shall we?
16 years ago today, SEGA of America President Tom Kalinske took to the stage at E3 and announced that the SEGA Saturn was now available in select retailers across the United States. Though this would later be seen as one of the greatest marketing blunders in SEGA’s history, it nevertheless marked the debut of one of the greatest consoles ever made. In commemoration of this momentous birthing of this epically underappreciated game console, we at SEGAbits are committing not a day, not a week, but a full month for all things SEGA Saturn! You can expect to see plenty of reviews, articles, and a dedicated episode of the SEGAbits podcast all about the Saturn from here until E3 on June 7th.
Those of you who don’t know much about the Saturn, or think there was a big load of nothing between the Genesis and the Dreamcast, should learn something this month. The SEGA Saturn is a veritable treasure trove of SEGA hits that have yet to see the light of day on other systems due to the Saturn’s difficult to emulate architecture, and the general obscurity of its library. Sure, we’ve all heard of NiGHTS and Panzer Dragoon, and Guardian Heroes has recently risen from obscurity to be remade as an Xbox Live Arcade release. But have you ever heard of Blazing Heroes? Ever heard of Astal? Did you know the SEGA Saturn had two Die Hard games, one which was a piece of crap and one which kicked ass? Have any of you guys even seen Dragon Force?
While Nintendo spent the 32 bit generation giving its 16 bit hits the 64 bit upgrade, and Sony spent it producing games that would go on to define its Playstation brand for more than a decade to come, SEGA went through a creative renaissance, almost completely ditching the franchises that made the Genesis a hit in favor of all new franchises that, regrettably, no one would buy. Even Sonic took a backseat to NiGHTS, which became and still remains one of the best reasons to own a Saturn.
So sit back, relax, and enjoy this month long ride through SEGA’s forgotten generation.
Though we’ve known about this for some time, SEGA has now officially confirmed their port of Crush for the 3DS. It turns out it’s going to be more than just a port of the PSP game, though. According to the press release, the game will feature all new locations, all new characters, and an intuitive hint system. In addition to the new content, it will also make use of the 3DS’ StreetPass function, allowing you to leave gifts for your friends to collect in game.
“CRUSH3D gives all gamers a chance to experience this critically acclaimed concept in full 3D,” said Gary Knight, Senior Vice President of Marketing of SEGA West. “With features specifically designed for this exciting new platform, CRUSH3D is right at home on the Nintendo 3DS.”
The game is scheduled to release September 6th in America and September 9th in Europe and Australia. Whether or not it will feature content from the original is currently unknown, as though it was originally confirmed to be a port, it sounds and looks much more like a sequel. The art style looks different from what I remember seeing in the first few levels of the original, and I’m not sure fans will be happy about that, especially since the main character being shown looks way different from the original’s weirdo in a helmet. He’s certainly more generic looking, which is a shame.
I for one am really happy to see this game series being given a second chance on the 3DS after it crashed and burned on the PSP. Unlike when it was released on PSP though, the 3DS is still very young, and great content for it will continue to be scarce until the holiday season. Hopefully, SEGA will take advantage of this opportunity and market the heck out of CRUSH3D, and get it the recognition the original deserved.
If this is at E3, we will be on hand to tell you how awesome (or not) it is!
Super Monkey Ball has become one of SEGA’s strangest popular franchises over the years. Like Ridge Racer or Tetris, a console’s library almost isn’t really complete without an entry from this quirky series. I imagine it may only be a matter of time until Monkey Ball ends up on the HD consoles in some fashion.
Due to this constant stream of new entries into this series, the quality has been taking a dip. Whether it’s the declining quality of the mini games or the increasingly poor stage design of each game, this series has seen better days. So, the question for SMB3DS is: does it reverse this trend? Read on to hear my opinion.
I confess, when I first heard about Pier Solar back in 2008, I was both excited and cautious. On one hand, the prospect of playing a new game on my Genesis sounded like an awesome proposition. On the other, I simply didn’t believe the game would get done. As the originally announced release date faded into memory, I assumed the game had simply gone the way of many a Dreamcast indie project, and forgot about it.
The game surpassed my expectations though, and has actually made it all the way into my Genesis. Even as I ordered it, I had my doubts about the game being anything more than a stereotypical role playing game that just happened to be on the Genesis. Has the game been able to surpass my expectations again?
Surprising nobody, it seems the long rumored third entry into the Mario & Sonic franchise has finally been announced. Surprisingly, this entry is cutting the DS out of the mix, and will instead be coming to the 3DS as well as the Wii.
Special thanks goes to Sonic Stadium for digging this up. The press release below was posted on the Czech website Zing.cz and translated by Google. Check it out after the break.
You own an iPod? Do you, for some inconceivable reason, not own a copy of Super Monkey Ball 2 for it? Well, now you have no excuse. From today until April 25th, four of SEGA’s iPod games will be available for ridiculously low prices. Be sure to take advantage!
Sale-priced titles:
ChuChu Rocket!™ HD for iPad: $2.99 / £1.79 /€2.39 (was $4.99/£2.99 /€3.99)
Hello and welcome to my first entry in nSEGA’s incredibly awesome “SEGA Sequel Saturdays” Segment. This is something I had actually promised to do a long time ago on behalf of Panzer Dragoon Orta. It’s something I’ll get to eventually, nSEGA, I swear! In the meantime, last week’s write up on a sequel to Ecco has inspired me to try my hand at it. After all, I beat the game years ago! So that people know where I’m coming from, I figure I’ll detail my history with the Ecco franchise. Any peeps not interested in that, feel free to skip the next two paragraphs.
Yesterday we brought you news that Game Gear games were heading to the 3DS’ Virtual Console service! Today, we’ve got details on the first few games to hit the service. Currently, these games are only confirmed for Japan. Full list after the break.
