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Sonic Chronicles 2 plot details finally revealed including the reason why the sequel never got made

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The newest video by Did You Know Gaming is covering ‘Lost Sonic Games’, in this video they take a look at a variety of Sonic games that never came to be. One of the biggest featured lost games happens to be Sonic Chronicles 2! The original Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood came out way back in 2008 and was developed by Bioware. It also happens to be the only Sonic RPG ever created. Of course, while the game wasn’t perfect, fans wound still want the developers to give it another try, especially considering the original game ended in a cliffhanger where our heroes return from space only to find out Eggman had taken over the world while they where gone…

If you guys skipped Sonic Forces, its basically the idea behind that plot that Eggman had won and taken over the world, shaping it in his image.

According to Sonic Chronicles designer Miles Holmes:

“Picking it up from the cliffhanger, they would come back and its now Eggman’s world, right? So that’s a little of a Back to the Future 2 kind of vibe. We talked about Skynet in Terminator 2, when you get to see the future, when you get to see where Kyle Reece is from, but now its all Eggman’s stuff. So in this case, Eggman unchecked by Sonic has been able to do what he’s always wanted to do and remake the world in his image.” – Miles Holmes, Bioware designer 

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First brand new online Dreamcast game in 2 decades, Driving Strikers, now available for purchase

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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.

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SEGA pulling back on blockchain gaming saying play-to-earn games are boring

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Cryptocurrency has taken a big hit in value, but when it was in its all time high, SEGA and other big publishers where quick to announce blockchain gaming projects across the board. SEGA was even one of the biggest supporters saying their next big ‘super game’ and successor to Phantasy Star Online 2 would feature NFTs. Now that the price and hype surrounding crypto has shifted into a bear market, it seems that SEGA is having second thoughts on the whole thing.

SEGA’s co-Chief Operating Officer Shuji Utsumi talked to Bloomberg News recently:

“The action in play-to-earn games is boring. What’s the point if games are no fun?”

As far as SEGA’s online multiplayer, high budget “Super Game” that is due to roll out in 2026, he had this to say:

“We’re looking into whether this technology is really going to take off in this industry, after all” 

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SEGA of America 1997 internal documents posted online, showing e-mails and revealing profit margins

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Have you ever wanted to know what SEGA of America talked about privately about SEGA as a brand going into 1997? You know, the time period when SEGA was going against the PlayStation and Nintendo 64 in America? When they lost most of the market share they gained with the SEGA Genesis? You can now thanks to a 272-page leaked internal document posted over at SEGA Retro.

In this document you can see SEGA of America discussing stuff like manufacturing costs, how badly the Saturn was selling, retail profit margins, and a lot more. For example, retailers only made a measly 6% per SEGA Saturn sold, that means they made $15 dollars per console. Why would they push it? Another surprising piece of information is that in 1996 it only cost SEGA $232 to manufacture a Saturn console which is a lot lower than we all thought.

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Sonic the Hedgehog SatAM is coming back to DVD this September for $19.99

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Via Sonic Stadium comes the news that the Saturday morning Sonic the Hedgehog series, often referred to as Sonic SatAM, is returning to DVD. The series debuted in 1993 and had a handful of VHS releases, but it wasn’t until 2007 that Shout! Factory released a complete series DVD set complete with several bonus features and cover art from franchise icon Ken Penders. The set has long been out of print, selling for well over $100, so fans should be pleased to see it returning to DVD albeit with some downsides.

Released by NCircle, the 26 episodes will be spread over two discs, as opposed to the original four, and will not feature any bonus materials. Additionally, the set has some pretty ugly cover art. Still, with a $19.99 price point it’s a great way to get your hands on the series. The DVD is set for a September 19, 2023 release.

Pre-Order At Amazon

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Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack updated with Crusader of Centy, Ghouls n’ Ghosts, Landstalker, and The Revenge of Shinobi

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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.

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

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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.

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Retro-Bit announces official reprint of El Viento and Sol-Deace for Genesis/Mega-Drive; pre-orders open now until July 30th

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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.

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Yu Suzuki’s Space Harrier-inspired “Air Twister” heading to consoles and PC on November 10th

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Released June 24, 2022 to Apple Arcade, Yu Suzuki’s Air Twister was a Space Harrier inspired behind the back 3D shooter from the man who created the original SEGA franchise. In what was perhaps our biggest “get”, we managed to interview Yu Suzuki himself to talk about the game! And yes, I will try to link to that interview whenever given a chance.

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Sonic Central: New episodes of Sonic Prime arrive July 13th on Netflix

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The Sonic Central event revealed new footage of Sonic Prime, the Netflix exclusive animated series, and announced new episodes will arrive July 13th. Check out the clip above and get ready for more dimension hopping this July!

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Sonic Superstars physical release details leak ahead of Sonic Central event – LEGO Eggman pre-order bonus revealed

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With Sonic’s anniversary just a day away, and a Sonic Central live stream planned, it appears some secrets have slipped out. Making the rounds on Twitter is an image showcasing what fans can expect from Sonic Superstars physical release when the game releases in the Fall. The game will feature a surprising amount of bonuses, including an in-game Eggman character skin (who will presumably replace classic Eggman in the cutscenes and boss battles, but it is possible Eggman could be also playable), reversible cover art featuring 2D art in the style of the 1990s games and an acrylic display stand. Worth pointing out, LEGO Eggman is digital and not an actual minifigure included in the box.

Priced at $59.99, the physical release goodies are very much welcomed. It has been a long time since Western fans received such bonuses in a base Sonic game, outside of the usual art books found in Origins Plus and Mania Plus. It is worth noting that in the lead up to tomorrow, the LEGO social accounts have teased a clip of LEGO Sonic tied up. This could be a hint towards LEGO Eggman pushing Sonic aside for an appearance in Sonic Superstars.

We will learn more tomorrow!

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Ancient/Yuzo Koshiro’s new Genesis/Mega-Drive shooter now named “Earthion”; Video footage shown

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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.

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

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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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