Original Content

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

by

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 ➜

No Comments

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

by

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 ➜

1 Comment

MICROWAVE MEGAWEEK DAY 3: Multimedia Studio and the Sega CD

by

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 ➜

No Comments

MICROWAVE MEGAWEEK DAY 2: Internal Sega Genesis prototypes

by

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 ➜

No Comments

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

by

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 ➜

No Comments

SEGA Talk #192: Super Monkey Ball 2

by

On this SEGA Talk, we roll back into the world of Super Monkey Ball with a look at the Gamecube exclusive sequel! How did the series expand on the characters and their world? What additions did the development team make to the gameplay? And what role does the game play in undergoing surgery? Sharpen your scalpels and find out on SEGA Talk!

[iTunes – Stitcher – Download]

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

No Comments

Under the microscope: Beavis and Butt-head

by

In this edition, we’re examining Beavis and Butt-head, the 1994 adaptation of the MTV series for Genesis by Radical Entertainment.

Data miners have looked through this game and found various unused elements – text, animations, music. They’ve compared the visuals in prerelease screenshots to the final game. They’ve noted the title’s unusual use of the Genesis sound hardware. But I think they missed something – a hidden cheat code.

Details are below…

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

SEGA Talk #191: Yakuza 4 (2010)

by

What’s better than one legend in Kamurocho? How about FOUR?! Today on SEGA Talk, we’re cracking open Yakuza 4—4 protagonists, 4 fighting styles, and 4 times the drama! Don’t 4-get to settle in, because we’re diving right in!

[iTunes – Stitcher – YouTube – Download]

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

1 Comment

Under the microscope: The Magic School Bus

by

My perception in the 90s was that the Sega Genesis was supposed to be your older brother’s console. It didn’t matter whether you had an older brother, or were an older brother; Sega’s marketing always implied that Genesis was just slightly cooler than you were.

Sega did try to appeal to younger siblings, however. The company’s Sega Club imprint published several titles for little kids, some of which purported to be at least slightly educational.

Scholastic’s The Magic School Bus: Space Exploration Game was one of these Sega Club games. It’s a collection of mini-games focused on space, and is inspired by the 1990 book The Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System.

Why examine a 30 year old edutainment game? It caught my eye because (a) I had the original The Magic School Bus space book when I was a kid, and my parents would never read it to me because it was too long; and (b) it was developed by Novotrade, and I’ve found interesting things in a few Novotrade games in recent years.

Below are details on how this game’s password system works, and notes on how to use a previously-unpublished cheat code to bypass it altogether.

Continue Reading ➜

2 Comments

Under the Microscope: Stimpy’s Invention

by

Some game cartridges from the 16-bit era shipped with backup chips. These allowed players save their progress. But they were expensive relative to a software-only alternative, session passwords.

In addition to being cheaper, session passwords could be shared. Players eagerly subscribed to game magazines that printed them. And in the 90s, having a notebook full of Sega Genesis codes was a good way to increase your status on the playground.

Continue Reading ➜

2 Comments

Hands-On Preview: Sonic the Hedgehog Pinball by Jersey Jack Pinball

by

Can you believe that despite being a video game icon for 35 years, the Sonic the Hedgehog series has never had a full size pinball machine? SEGA actually came close. In 1994, SEGA purchased Data East Pinball Inc. and established SEGA Pinball, which was subsequently sold in 1999 to become Stern Pinball. However, even with SEGA being in the pinball industry at the peak of Sonic’s popularity, they never once thought to release a Sonic pinball machine. Fast forward to 2026, the year of Sonic’s 35th anniversary, and thanks to Chicagoland-based Jersey Jack Pinball it has finally happened! Sonic has a pinball machine.

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment

SEGA Talk #190: Kid Chameleon (1992)

by

Smash your head into a Prize Block because on this episode of SEGA Talk we’re transforming into Kid Chameleon! How did this ambitious platformer come to be? Which teen heartthrob did they base the hero on? And what legacy – if any – did this game leave behind? Find out on this transformative 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!

No Comments

SEGA Talk #189: Judgment (2018)

by

Put on your detective badge, step into the neon-lit streets of Kamurocho, and get ready to trade your heat actions for courtroom objections as we dive into the boldest spin-off Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has ever produced: Judgment. This isn’t just “Yakuza with a lawyer.” This is a game that traded Kazuma Kiryu for Takuya Kimura, swapped organized crime for legal suspense, and asked whether the Dragon Engine could tell a whole new kind of story. Find out on 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!

No Comments