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Under the microscope: Stormlord

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Stormlord was originally published for the ZX Spectrum and other 8-bit PCs by Hewson Consultants in 1989. A Genesis version, produced by RazorSoft and Punk Development, followed in 1991.

The console version of Stormlord is noticeably different from its PC counterparts in one striking way: there’s no nudity. In the game, you play as the Viking hero StormLord, rescuing fairy princesses from a dastardly antagonist. StormLord doesn’t wear much clothing, but the fairy princesses are entirely naked in the original artwork. In the Genesis edition, they’re covered up (albeit minimally).

In an excellent interview from 2019 in Gaming Alexandria, Genesis version programmer Kevin Seghetti said this about the game:

[We] did put a cheat code system in the game, so that we could release codes after the game came out (a method to keep getting your game mentioned in the magazines of the time). One of the codes removes the clothes from the fairies, revealing the original artwork. Razorsoft specified this as well. I vaguely recall we may have removed that particular cheat code before we shipped.

Did they actually remove this cheat code? No – it remained in the retail cartridge. I found it in the game data, along with another cheat code that managed to stay secret for the last 35 years. Details on these new codes and how they work are below!

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SEGA Talk #194: Shinobi Legions (1995)

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On this SEGA Talk, we are NEW and in LIVE ACTION with the SEGA Saturn game Shinobi Legions! How does this game connect to the series? Who developed it? And why do the brits say they have the superior version? FIND OUT on SEGA TALK HI-YAH!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download]

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!

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Under the microscope: Shaq Fu

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Shaq Fu, the 1994 Genesis game from Delphine Software, lets players experience the dream of the 1990s: to become basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal as he battles an evil mummy from an alternate dimension.That’s right: Shaq Fu is a 2D fighting game, not a basketball game. I approve – it’s great when pop culture figures star in unexpected genre games. Should the Wu-Tang Clan be in a tournament fighting game? Absolutely. Should Aerosmith be in a light gun game? Definitely. I only regret that there was never a Seinfeld-themed beat-’em-up.

I found a previously-unpublished cheat code for this game. You can use it to speed Shaq’s progress through the Second World and get him back to the First World in time to play in the big charity game. Details are below!

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Interview with Satoshi Yokokawa: New Sonic 3 and Mecha Sonic Mk. II info revealed

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Sega Retro interviewer Ashley Rojas has published an in-depth interview with Satoshi Yokokawa, the Sonic Team artist behind Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Sonic & Knuckles‘ enemies and bosses. The interview follows Yokokawa from his 1991 hiring at Sega CS1, where his first project was the Toshokan title 16t, to his transfer to the Sega Technical Institute in California for the development of Sonic 3. Yokokawa explains the thinking behind the game’s distinctive enemy designs and reveals the inspirations behind Mecha Sonic Mk. II‘s character designs. The interview goes on to cover his transition to 3D on Saturn titles like World Advanced Daisenryaku, the Gigas bosses of Eternal Arcadia, and his freelance work with Treasure on games including Astro Boy: Omega Factor, Gunstar Super Heroes, and Bangai-O Spirits.

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Exclusive Tom Payne interview: New details about Sonic 2 and Sega Technical Institute

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Ashley Rojas has conducted a new interview with Sega Technical Institute artist Tom Payne, most known for his role as one of three American artists assigned to Sonic the Hedgehog 2. In this interview, Tom reveals never-before-heard development information, including being brought onto the project, new details on Genocide City Zone, memories about working with his Japanese coworkers, and even how the dinosaur enemies later placed in Hidden Palace Zone came from his first week at the studio. He also expands on his contributions to titles like Sonic Spinball and Spinny & Spike, later recounting his career after leaving Sega and up to the present day.

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SEGA Talk #193: Sonic Heroes (2003)

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Get ready to dust off your team formations and brace yourself for some seriously slippery physics, because on this episode of SEGA Talk, we are diving headfirst into Sonic Heroes. We are breaking down everything from its chaotic, multi-platform growing pains and that massive ensemble cast to the brutal industry crunch that nearly broke director Takashi Iizuka. Hit that speed dash, grab your rings, and let’s jump right into this episode of SEGA….TALK!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download]

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!

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Under the microscope: FIFA Soccer 96

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We talk sometimes about how cheat sites like GameFAQs have quality control issues. Lots of games have bogus codes listed. Some are incorrectly transcribed, some are actually for other games, and some are totally made up.

Some of the codes for the Genesis version of FIFA Soccer 96 are bogus. Neither of these work, for example:

EA Dream Team: Press A(2), B(2), C(2), B, C(2), A(2) at the options screen.

Super Power: Press B, A, B(2), C, B, A, C, B(4) at the options screen.

What species of bogus are they? It turns out they’re incorrectly transcribed. As we’ll see below, they’re close to right – but not quite.

While I was looking into this, I found several other cheat codes for this game that I don’t think have been documented before. Furthermore, I found nearly identical codes for FIFA 97: Gold Edition. Read on for details!

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MICROWAVE MEGAWEEK DAY 5: Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine (Kraftwerk prototype)

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DevStash x Sega Retro present Microwave Megaweek is a 5-day prototype and development material release event happening now on Sega Retro’s forums. Earlier this year, interviewer Ashley Rojas – representing her newly-founded game preservation nonprofit DevStash Inc. – visited former Sega of America audio director David Javelosa to preserve as much of the musician’s game industry work as possible. From never-before-seen internal documentation to long-sought prototypes, Microwave Megaweek serves as a physical representation of both David’s career and Sega of America’s audio history.

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MICROWAVE MEGAWEEK DAY 4: DJ GEMS Demo and Sonic 2’s Club Scene

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DevStash x Sega Retro present Microwave Megaweek is a 5-day prototype and development material release event happening now on Sega Retro’s forums. Earlier this year, interviewer Ashley Rojas – representing her newly-founded game preservation nonprofit DevStash Inc. – visited former Sega of America audio director David Javelosa to preserve as much of the musician’s game industry work as possible. From never-before-seen internal documentation to long-sought prototypes, Microwave Megaweek serves as a physical representation of both David’s career and Sega of America’s audio history.

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MICROWAVE MEGAWEEK DAY 3: Multimedia Studio and the Sega CD

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DevStash x Sega Retro present Microwave Megaweek is a 5-day prototype and development material release event happening now on Sega Retro’s forums. Earlier this year, interviewer Ashley Rojas – representing her newly-founded game preservation nonprofit DevStash Inc. – visited former Sega of America audio director David Javelosa to preserve as much of the musician’s game industry work as possible. From never-before-seen internal documentation to long-sought prototypes, Microwave Megaweek serves as a physical representation of both David’s career and Sega of America’s audio history.

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MICROWAVE MEGAWEEK DAY 2: Internal Sega Genesis prototypes

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DevStash x Sega Retro present Microwave Megaweek is a 5-day prototype and development material release event happening now on Sega Retro’s forums. Earlier this year, interviewer Ashley Rojas – representing her newly-founded game preservation nonprofit DevStash Inc. – visited former Sega of America audio director David Javelosa to preserve as much of the musician’s game industry work as possible. From never-before-seen internal documentation to long-sought prototypes, Microwave Megaweek serves as a physical representation of both David’s career and Sega of America’s audio history.

Continue Reading ➜

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MICROWAVE MEGAWEEK: Five days of prototypes, documents and unreleased music

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DevStash x Sega Retro present Microwave Megaweek is a 5-day prototype and development material release event happening now on Sega Retro’s forums. Earlier this year, interviewer Ashley Rojas – representing her newly-founded game preservation nonprofit DevStash Inc. – visited former Sega of America audio director David Javelosa to preserve as much of the musician’s game industry work as possible. From never-before-seen internal documentation to long-sought prototypes, Microwave Megaweek serves as a physical representation of both David’s career and Sega of America’s audio history.

Continue Reading ➜

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