Fan made

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

August 19, 2024 by Big Elk

Bonus translation patch drop! Our English patch for SEGA PS1 rhythm game Mini-Moni. Shakatto Tambourine! da Pyon! is now available! pic.twitter.com/KRPBpgF9AR

— Hilltop 🇵🇸 (@HilltopWorks) August 18, 2024

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

July 30, 2024 by Barry

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

July 26, 2024 by Big Elk

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.

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Sega Rally 2006 fan translation patch now available

July 26, 2024 by Big Elk

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.

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

July 26, 2024 by Big Elk

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

May 23, 2024 by Big Elk

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!

March 4, 2024 by Kori-Maru

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!

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

February 7, 2024 by Kori-Maru

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

January 30, 2024 by Kori-Maru

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

July 20, 2023 by Barry

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.

First ever Homebrew Games Summer Showcase airing live this Thursday, June 29th; confirms games for Sega consoles

June 27, 2023 by Big Elk

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.

Japanese Only Dreamcast Game “Nakoruru: The Gift She Gave Me” Gets Fan Translated English Patch

June 14, 2023 by George

The SEGA Dreamcast is a great console that received a lot of great games, some of these games only got a Japanese release. Thankfully, in the last few years we have had fans go back and translate the games themselves. Nakoruru: The Gift She Gave Me was released back in 2001 on Windows PC and a year later on Dreamcast. This game is an adventure game that’s actually a spin-off of Samurai Shodown from SNK, since Nakoruru is a selectable fighter from the franchise.

Even though the game alludes to you playing as Nakoruru in this game, it seems that isn’t the case. Here is an overview of the game from SNK Fandom Wiki:

“The player is a seven year old girl named Mikato, a villager in Kamui Kotan who looks up to Nakoruru. She watches and idolizes the priestess, trying to help her in anyway that she can. During the time of peace, she spends time acquainting herself with the residents and the beautiful yet sometimes unforgiving environment. Their serene lives are invaded by an evil force, making once tame animals into berserkers and allies into sudden foes.

The basic flow of the game uses traditional elements from the adventure game genre. Players select their answers and proceed along a path that hopefully gets to the good ending of the game. Along the way, they’ll also have to complete a variety of mini-games that test typing and reflexive skills.”

This translation was brought to us by Derek Pascarella who posted his English translated patch on Github. He also points out that there is a bonus disc for the game that features brand-new supplement to the full game including music and a 30-minute OVA with English subtitles.

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Red Moon Lost Days is an indie RPG/visual novel for the SEGA Saturn

May 26, 2023 by Barry

In the days of old, the long long ago times of 2009, professionally pressed indie games for SEGA consoles were both a rarity and a luxury. There were, at most, two or three games a year for consoles like Master System, Genesis and even the Dreamcast. Nowadays it seems that a new indie game is releasing every few weeks with all the bells and whistles of an official release, including color manuals, pressed CDs and cartridge labels. But, through all that time, rarely (if ever) was the SEGA Saturn given attention. That is why the game Red Moon Lost Days caught my attention.