Genesis

Retro-bit announces SEGA partnership – creating USB and Bluetooth Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast accessories

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Have you ever played a rerelease of a classic SEGA game and felt that it just didn’t feel quite right with a modern controller? Well we could be seeing classic SEGA controllers for modern hardware soon, as retro gaming hardware manufacturer Retro-bit has announced a collaboration with SEGA. The official press release states that the plan is to produce accessories for SEGA’s platforms which includes, but is not limited to, SEGA Genesis, Saturn and Dreamcast. The first products to be released will include accessories that match the quality of the originals, made for use on original hardware as well as USB for PC use and Bluetooth wireless. These new products will debut in the Innex booth #21023 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center during CES 2018.

This is very exciting, as games like Sonic Mania, Jet Set Radio HD and NiGHTS HD all would benefit from the original controllers. Also, the notion of a new Dreamcast pad for original hardware being made in 2018 is just sort of crazy and cool. Also, new USB Saturn pads would be amazing.

Read the full press release after the break

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SEGA Forever adds ESWAT: City Under Siege to the lineup

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Another SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive classic has been added to the SEGA Forever free-to-play smart device gaming lineup. Based on the System 16 arcade game Cyber Police ESWAT, ESWAT: City Under Siege is a rather faithful arcade port. A run n’ gun, ESWAT stars a police officer (given the name Duke Oda in Japanese versions) who makes his way through the crime-ridden Liberty City, taking down lawbreakers. Promoted to the police department’s top unit, the ESWAT (Enhanced Special Weapons and Tactics), Oda is given a powerful exoskeleton and is tasked with taking down the super computer E.Y.E.

A little SEGA trivia: Streets of Rage/Bare Knuckle started development under the working title of D-SWAT were the D stood for Dragon, making it sort of a sequel/spin-off to the ESWAT series. It later became its own thing, but an interesting factoid.

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SEGA Forever loses its head and adds Decap Attack to the mobile lineup

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The latest SEGA Forever title has been revealed, releasing later today, and it is none other than the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive classic Decap Attack. A westernized version of the Japanese Mega Drive game Magical Hat no Buttobi Tabo! Daibōken, Decap Attack is arguably the better game if only because it stars a decapitated mummy named Chuck D. Head. As with previous SAEGA Forever titles, they are available on smart devices and are free-to-play. Expect Decap Attack to roll out later today!

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Return to the Fantasy Zone as “Space Harrier II” joins the SEGA Forever lineup

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The SEGA Forever lineup of classic console games on mobile devices has slowly been expanding since the service was announced two months ago. So far, we’ve mainly seen SEGA Genesis games and pre-existing mobile games based on Dreamcast titles, and while the latest addition doesn’t break this trend it is a cool game. 1988’s Space Harrier II was a launch title for the SEGA Mega Drive in Japan, and was special as it was a console-exclusive sequel to an arcade classic. While fans debate whether Space Harrier II was a worthy sequel, most fans of the franchise can agree that the sequel does not see a lot of love when it comes to rereleases. So with that in mind, it’s great to see it joining the SEGA Forever lineup.

Since launching the service, SEGA has been updating the emulator and added some additional visual options for graphics and controls. As an iPhone 7 owner, I’ve seen an increase in quality, but I can’t speak for all devices and operating systems. Check it out for yourself, as it’s free-to-play.

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Traveller’s Tales Founder Uncovers Sonic R, Mickey Mania 2 Prototypes

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Game developers are rarely able to showcase their efforts in video game preservation. Publisher and developer regulations may prohibit this material be preserved for future generations to learn and understand from to avoid competition and protect resources. In a rare opportunity developers may uncover unreleased materials they held in their personal collection. Some recent examples include prototypes of games such as the Super Nintendo version of Rayman discovered by series creator Michel Ancel or Twelve Tales Conker 64 dug up from Rare’s archives. Recently Traveller’s Tales founder, Jon Burton, has pulled out pitch videos and prototypes of his company’s earlier efforts on his YouTube channel GameHut. The most recent videos at the time of this writing the first known prototype of Sonic R for SEGA Saturn shown off to SEGA as well as prototype footage of Mickey Mania 2 running on Mega Drive hardware.

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Golden Axe joins the SEGA Forever mobile lineup

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The SEGA Forever lineup expanded today with the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive version of Golden Axe, available free-to-play now on iOS and Android devices. Like Ristar, this release features improved emulation, new screen modes, customizable controls and controller support. As an iPhone 7 owner, the game plays much better than the first wave of SEGA Forever titles. No doubt helped by the improvements to the emulator. It’s a shame this isn’t the superior arcade version, as I would love to eventually see the excellent Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder.

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Vixen 357 English fan translation released

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Strategy game enthusiasts should rejoice – a Vixen 357 English fan translation was released earlier this month. You can download the latest patch for the game over at Romhacking.net.

Vixen 357 was released for the Japanese Sega Mega Drive in 1992. This strategy game features grid-based battlefields where you fight with in or out of giant mechs. You gradually build an army of the giant robots which are key to decimating your opponents. Losing a crew member in battle faces a harsh punishment, as they remain dead for the rest of the game unless you reload your save.

Anime-inspired still cutscenes such as the ones seen in Phantasy Star IV tell the story in between battles.

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Vixen 357 was developed by Masaya, the same company behind Sega classics like the original Assault Suit Leynos and Langrisser games, among many others. Now you can patch the original game and try it out in your favorite emulator or load it on your flash carts and see what we missed out on.

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Disney Re-Releases Aladdin, The Lion King and The Jungle Book on GOG.com

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Leave it to digital distribution to as a means to keep the older classics alive, although your mileage may vary if it may not quite be as you remember it. As is the case with today’s offering on GOG.com that sees the return of three Disney platformers from the 16-bit era.

As part of their joint effort with Disney to re-release games from past decades, GOG.com has re-released Aladdin, The Lion King and The Jungle Book on their digital service. Because GOG.com specializes in releasing PC titles in their original format without DRM, these titles are the DOS versions running in the DOSBOX emulator. Aladdin and Jungle Book are the significant highlights for SEGA fans as these ports are based on their respective Mega Drive and Genesis versions. The accuracy between versions may vary, but in the case of titles such as Aladdin, you still get to experience the highly animated characters and detailed backgrounds of the original game with the music recreated in MOD format.

As of this publication, they’re running an introductory sale where you can get each title for 10% off or all three together in a bundle. Lets hope we get to see more in the future along with Maui Mallard and maybe even Mickey Mania. Though for the true SEGA diehard, maybe we’ll see re-releases of titles such as Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Quackshot one day soon.

[Source: GOG.com]

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SEGA News Bits: Sonic the Hedgehog turns 25 years old

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Sonic the Hedgehog’s 25th anniversary officially kicked off on June 23rd, which was of course the release date of the eponymous game that started it all. In this SEGA News Bits, George and Barry look back on 25 years of Sonic by spin dashing through all the main series Sonic Team developed console games. There are quite a few to get through, so consider this more of a SEGA News Smörgåsbord. Why are you still reading this? Click play and enjoy!

What are your favorite Sonic games? Let us know the comments below and like always thanks for watching! If you like our SEGA News Bits videos, make sure to subscribe to us on our YouTube channel.

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Celebrating Sonic the Hedgehog’s 25th anniversary with 25 great underrated moments

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sonic 25 headerSEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog franchise turns 25 today, and while we’ve celebrated franchise milestone years in the past, there is something really special about this one. A quarter of a century is a long time, and it is a testament to SEGA’s perseverance and the devotion of the Sonic fanbase that the franchise is still going strong. Sonic Lost World and the Sonic Boom franchise – particularly the games – are often pinpointed as the franchise’s recent weak points and signs that the franchise as a whole needs to be put down or at the very least take a long break. While I am not here to debate the merits of Sonic Lost World and Sonic Boom, I will say that to end a series or take a long break because of either is both incredibly shortsighted and far too extreme a reaction. I would also argue that Sonic is about much more than just the main series games, as fans like to label the major titles, and that there has always been great Sonic things happening even during the franchise’s darkest years.

In celebration of 25 years of Sonic the Hedgehog, join me in looking back year-by-year as I shine the light on great moments in Sonic history that more people need to be talking about.

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Review: SEGA Genesis & Mega Drive Classics Hub

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Expectations are a nasty thing. They can warp and twist and turn your perception of what something is, focusing instead on what it’s not. I had that sort of reaction to the SEGA Genesis & Mega Drive Classics Hub at first. But I sat back, and I thought about it, and I realized it wasn’t totally fair to judge it on the fact that it was a lackluster front-end with wasted potential. But then there came the other issues.

Genesis Classics Hub is not the worst presentation of an emulation machine I’ve ever seen, but it feels so below average that I wonder what the point of the upgrade even was. Hit the jump to find out why.

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Cancelled Akira Genesis game brought to the limelight

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It’s not every day new info about old games comes out. It’s even rarer for new info about old, cancelled games to come out of the woodwork. In the dust of archived footage of CES, Space World, and E3s of twenty years ago, major undocumented secrets sometimes spring out. And now there’s been a very, very interesting find: a preview of a cancelled Genesis adaptation of the 1988 anime film, Akira. Hit the jump for details and analysis, as well as the video showing the prototype.

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SEGA News Bits: Shining series turns 25 years old

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25 years ago today, on March 29th 1991, Shining in the Darkness released to the Japanese Mega Drive. While the original game did not light the world on fire, the later Shining Force games would become some of the best strategy RPGs ever produced. The series is still going strong, at least in Japan, with Blade Arcus from Shining EX releasing just last year.

Whatever you may think about the recent installments, most fans agree that the Shining Force games were legendary and the original Shining in the Darkness is to thank for starting the franchise. Join us on this SEGA News Bits as we share our Shining memories and talk about the possible future of the series, and don’t forget to brush up on all the SEGA anniversaries hitting this year!

If you enjoy the SEGA News Bits video formats make sure to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube for more.

 

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SEGA News Bits: Fantasy Zone turns 30 years old

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2016 is filled with milestone SEGA anniversaries, and one of the most anticipated by us – for obvious reasons – was Fantasy Zone! Join us on this SEGA News Bits as we discuss our thoughts on the franchise’s past, present and future.

Released to arcades on March 28, 1986, the Fantasy Zone franchise has released a surprising amount of games in its 30 year history. Despite the many titles, the story often remains the same: the sentient spaceship Opa Opa traverses the Fantasy Zone, sometimes joined by his brother Upa Upa, battling bizarre bosses and upping his arsenal thanks to a floating Parts Shop. Outside the franchise, Opa Opa has made appearances in both All-Stars Racing games as well as Amusement Visions’ Planet Harriers, a 3D installment in the Space Harrier franchise which also takes place in Opa Opa’s Fantasy Zone.

If you enjoy the SEGA News Bits video formats make sure to like, share and subscribe to our YouTube for more.

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SEGA in the Media: Seinfeld’s “The Comeback” has a great selection of Genesis games at Champagne Video

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Spotting video games on TV’s greatest sitcom Seinfeld is nothing new. Longtime fans of series know all about the Frogger episode as well as Jerry’s video shelf which features NES and SNES games sat next to cinematic classics like “Child’s Play 2”. When it comes to SEGA on Seinfeld, however, you’re going to have to look a bit harder. In the eighth season episode “The Comeback”, which aired January 30th, 1997, one of the plots involved Elaine becoming infatuated with a mysterious video store employee Vincent. Meanwhile, Kramer was more interested in the Gene picks. Champagne Video, a recurring location in the series, was the go-to spot for Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine when they needed to rent some VHS tapes. Throughout the series, the store evolved to feature what were at the time current videos, and in the episode “The Comeback” the set decorator took things one step further by littering the store with classic SEGA Genesis games.

On this installment of SEGA in the Media, we’re going to see how many SEGA Genesis games we can spot! Start browsing the shelves after the break.

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