Phantasy Star II getting a fanmade port to the Amiga platform

These are interesting times for retro ports. First, we had folks porting games to Sega consoles from other platforms, then someone ported Shinobi and Golden Axe to SNK’s Neo-Geo platforms, and now someone wants to bring Phantasy Star II (1989) to the Amiga platform. I’m certainly not against it.

Homebrew developer RetroLover is now hard at work on an Amiga conversion of the seminal and very influential Genesis/Mega-Drive JRPG Phantasy Star II. That game is their favorite RPG of all time, and this is their way of paying tribute to it and the Amiga platform. The game is being rebuilt in Scorpion Engine, which is made for development of Amiga, Genesis, and even Neo-Geo games, but RetroLover is aiming to make this as faithful to the Genesis original as possible. They’ll still be adding enhancements to make it easier to play through, such as an improved battle system based on that of Phantasy Star IV (1995).

For now, though, the port is still early in development. However, RetroLover has released a demo for the public to try and is open to feedback. If you have a way to run Amiga games, I’d say give it a go. You can find a link to download it below the break.

Indie fighting game Pocket Bravery getting an official Genesis/Mega-Drive port

Here comes a new challenge on Genesis/Mega-Drive. Pocket Bravery, a modern, independent 2D fighting game by Brazillian developer Statera Studio, has an official 16-bit port being worked on for the Genesis. The port is being handled by RheoGamer, himself a Brazillian developer, who had previously ported Real Bout Fatal Fury to Genesis and is already hard at work on his own Genesis port of X-Men vs. Street Fighter and an original King of Fighters Genesis game. Needless to say, this makes him the perfect candidate for porting a game that was already clearly inspired by the best of Capcom and SNK’s fighting game pedigree. Never underestimate the love Brazil has for the old school Sega, Capcom, or SNK.

For more info on Pocket Bravery to get you excited for this 16-bit port, have a look past the break.

Golden Axe arcade game now ported to SNK’s Neo-Geo

The arcade version of Golden Axe (1989) has now been ported to the Neo-Geo family of systems by h0ffman. This comes a couple of weeks after their homemade port of the arcade version of Shinobi (1988) to Neo-Geo, and the Golden Axe port was handled in much the same way. Now that their Golden Axe port is completed, it is now available to download for free from their itch.io page and ready to run on Neo-Geo AES, MVS, and CD hardware.

Unlike with their Shinobi port, they’ve added some extra special features to this new Neo-Geo port. You’ll find more information, along with a download link, right past the break.

Shinobi arcade game ported to SNK’s Neo-Geo; Golden Axe arcade port coming soon

Mock cover art by Pedro Soares https://x.com/peachflavor3d/status/1876277610961043787

The Sega arcade classic Shinobi (1988) has just been unofficially ported to the Genes- sorry, I meant the Dreamca- wait! No! It’s been ported to SNK’s Neo-Geo system. That sounds like a first.

Yes. Hobbyist developer h0ffman has just brought Shinobi to the Neo-Geo system by seemingly disassembling the original arcade ROM to make their own source code and then converting it to run on Neo-Geo hardware just to see if they could. They first got the game running from a physical CD on a Neo-Geo CD console and have since released versions that run on that as well as the Neo-Geo AES and Neo-Geo MVS. What’s more, they’re also currently doing the same with Golden Axe (1989), though they have not yet finished that port as of this writing. For now, you can download Shinobi and try it on your favorite Neo-Geo emulator or any Neo-Geo hardware you may own.

For download links, sneak on in past the break.

Sonic CD getting regular SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive port by fans

Let’s face it, The SEGA CD is expensive and prone to failure. It does offer that incredible CD quality sound but sometimes you just want to play all your classic Sonic the Hedgehog games on the regular old SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive. Guess what? Soon you can.

As part of this year’s Sonic Hacking Contest MDTravis has submitted a sorta demake port by making the once SEGA CD exclusive run on vanilla SEGA Genesis hardware. Like many great fan projects, MDTravis had the help of:

MD Sonic The Hedgehog is slated to get a full release on September 28th, so if your mom hasn’t let you upgrade to a SEGA CD for the last 30+ years, soon you will be able to try Sonic CD!

Edit: Forgot to mention that this would be a port of Sonic CD V0.02 which means it will be a early prototype build being ported over to the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive system.

[via: Time Extension]

Mini-Moni. Shakatto Tambourine! da Pyon!, Sega’s one and only PSOne game, gets a fan translation

No, this ain’t Samba de Amigo, but it’s not that far off. The only PlayStation game Sega has ever developed “Mini-Moni. Shakatto Tambourine! da Pyon! (2002)” has just been fan translated, opening it up to an English speaking audience. Of course, this only goes for written text in the game, and not the lyrics to the songs within. The translation comes courtesy of the team of fan translators at Hilltop Works.

The game is very similar to Samba de Amigo and has tambourine motion-based controllers that you can play it with, which were originally packaged with copies of the game. The game can still be played with a regular DualShock controller, which you’re much more likely to own.

For a link to download the translation patch, as well as a brief background on the game, come on down past the break.

Shenmue World: Issue 3 – Unofficial Shenmue Fan Magazine Kickstarter launches

From the fans behind the Shenmue fan site Shenmue Dojo comes the third issue in their fan magazine Shenmue World! Hitting Kickstarter just yesterday, the campaign for Shenmue World: Issue 3 is already $17,330 pledged of a $22,496 goal. If issues 1 and 2 are any indication of the quality we can expect, then issue 3 is sure to be a feature filled book sized magazine featuring impressive fan artwork, fictional and journalistic coverage of the Shenmue series and several bonus goodies that should not be missed!

Homebrew Genesis/Mega-Drive game Hayato’s Journey finishes development; now available to download for free

An all new homebrew action platformer for Genesis/Mega-Drive, called Hayato’s Journey, has just finished development and is now free to download. Developed by Master Linkuei, Hayato’s Journey is a fanmade spiritual sequel to the Master System game Kenseiden (1988). The game is now available on his itch.io page for whatever price you wish to pay. Although it is free, it couldn’t hurt to give Master Linkuei a buck or two to reward their hard work.

Have a look beyond the break for a trailer and a link to the game.

Sega Rally 2006 fan translation patch now available

Sega Rally 2006, the first Sega Rally game made exclusively for a console, has just gotten an all new fan translation released. Previously only released in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, this PS2 classic had all of its text in those countries’ respective native languages only, until now, that is. For the first time ever, you can play the game almost entirely in English now.

While graphics featuring text could not be translated, as there is no way to easily change the text in graphics at this time, much of the important text in the game has been completely translated into English, making menus much less of a chore to navigate for the Japanese impaired. The newly translated text consists of:

  • Career Mode intro and profile creation.
  • Career Mode top menus (Calendar, trophies, etc.).
  • Calendar race names, vehicle restrictions, and rewards.
  • Garage and Shop menus, including part and tire names, descriptions, and tuning menu.
  • Pre-race splash screens.
  • Sponsorship contract tutorials and objectives.

For a link to where you can download this patch, have a look past the break.

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Fanmade Dreamcast port of Grand Theft Auto III being worked on; WIP footage shown

How many of you were aware the Grand Theft Auto III (2001) was originally meant to have a version on Sega Dreamcast? It moved away from Dreamcast after developer DMA Design, today known as Rockstar North, came into agreement that the Dreamcast was no longer a viable platform for the game, most likely due to Sega bowing out of the console hardware race in 2001. Had the game released on Dreamcast as originally intended, it would’ve gone on to be a major feather in the Dreamcast’s cap for years to come.

While we can’t go back in time and make DMA Design stick to it’s original Dreamcast release plans, one fan has taken it upon themselves to convert the game over to Dreamcast. Homebrew developer SKMP has been building a new Dreamcast GTA III port using assets and reverse engineered code from the original PC version. Lately, he’s even gained some help from a few other Dreamcast homebrew developers, including Frogbull, who’s best known for creating a Metal Gear Solid 2 tech demo for Dreamcast. While the port is still work-in-progress as of this writing, what’s been done so far is nothing short of amazing. After all, just because GTA III was originally meant to be a Dreamcast game, doesn’t mean that bringing the finished game to Dreamcast is as simple as you might think.

You’ll find out more about what I mean past the break.

Sega Tetris online multiplayer restored through Dreamcast Live

Another Sega Dreamcast classic has just had its online multiplayer modes restored for Dreamcast Live, a new fanmade online connection service for Dreamcast. Sega Tetris (2000) is now back up and running online thanks to the efforts of one Shu, who has restored online features for many Dreamcast games already, including The Next Tetris: On-Line Edition (Also 2000), another Dreamcast Tetris game.

Unlike The Next Tetris, which only released in North America and Europe, Sega Tetris released only in Japan, both on Dreamcast and the NAOMI arcade system. Because of its reliance of Japanese reading comprehension, Dreamcast archivist PCWZRD13, who also made and uploaded the above video, had also taken the liberty of preparing a patch to translate the online multiplayer menus to English. Patched versions of Sega Tetris, as well as a few other Dreamcast Live compatible games, can be downloaded freely from Dreamcast Live’s downloads page.

Drop down past the break for more info on how to get started if you’re interested in trying this game out.

Celebrating the SEGA Dreamcast Legacy: Join the Newgrounds Dreamcast Collab!


Artwork by @inksaji on Twitter

Are you an artist or animator who grew up with the SEGA Dreamcast and its games, such as Sonic Adventure, Shenmue, and Power Stone? Look no further! A group of SEGA Dreamcast fans, led by shleptboi, is gathering to create the ultimate collab on Newgrounds to celebrate the legacy of the console and its video games. They’re seeking tons of talent for the project, whether you’re an artist, animator, musician, voice actor, etc.

Currently, the project has over 200 artists/animators contributing and continues to grow. You can join in on the collaboration as well. Be sure to read the guidelines for the project and check the spreadsheet to see how you can contribute. The deadline for the Newgrounds Dreamcast Collab is June 2nd, so don’t miss out on sharing your love and favorite memories of the Sega Dreamcast! We’re excited to see how the project turns out!

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Sonic Revolution Launches Kickstarter; The Next Event Announced for June 30, 2024

Have any plans for the summer to celebrate all things Sonic the Hedgehog? Look no further, as Sonic Revolution, a fan-run Sonic the Hedgehog convention held in Los Angeles, California, will be returning this year to celebrate the event’s 10-year anniversary featuring guests from the Sonic fan community, artists, activities, and much more! In order to make the event more exciting for attendees, the Sonic Revolution staff have launched a Kickstarter page with the goal of raising $7,000 for this year’s event, with the theme focusing on Dr. Eggman.

Sonic Revolution 2024 will be held on June 30, 2024, at the Carson Event Center located at 801 East Carson Street, Carson, CA, and will feature many special guests such as former Sonic voice actors Ryan Drummond and Pete Capella, Archie artist Jay Axer, current voice of Dr. Eggman Mike Pollock, Sonic Fan Animator Balena Productions, and more! You can support Sonic Revolution’s Kickstarter with multiple tiers to choose from here.

SEGA vs. Capcom: The Next Level Fan Game Demo Out Now

Have you ever wanted to see SEGA’s very own Sonic the Hedgehog and Akira Yuki duke it out against Capcom’s iconic characters like Mega Man X and Ryu?

Well you don’t have to wait anymore as fighting game fan, madxruler, has created the ultimate crossover that fans of both gaming companies has ever wanted featuring franchises such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man, Virtua Fighter, Street Fighter, Skies of Arcadia and many more.

SEGA vs. Capcom: The Next Level demo is now available for download here and it features Arcade and Practice Mode with Sonic and Megaman X as playable characters.

Be sure to try out the demo and give the developer feedback to make further improvements for the final version.

Jet Set Radio 3: The Lost Sequel documentary looks at the past, present and future of the franchise

YouTube video documentarian kayisthey has released a nearly hour long look back at the many failed attempts at a third Jet Set Radio game. “Jet Set Radio 3: The Lost Sequel” runs through all the concept art, footage and leaked information to give a rather concise history of the games we never got to see, and maybe one we just might see in the near future. Special thanks to kayisthey for reaching out to me, as I am featured throughout the documentary.