Remember the homebrew port of the 1992 X-Men arcade game for Sega Saturn being worked on by hotrodx? They just came out with an all-new version of their demo adding Storm to the playable roster, as well as 3-player co-op and a new 2nd stage.
Might as well cut to the chase. Check in past the break for info on the update as well as a download link.
It’s Genesis/Mega-Drive homebrew time again. Coming to us from developer and artist JuiceLizard, Demon Girls is still in active development for the wonderful 16-bit console, and now a demo is currently available for all to try from his itch.io page. The demo consists of the entire first level of the game and is absolutely free, but if you’re feeling particularly generous, you can also leave JuiceLizard a gracious tip as you download the ROM file. Like any Genesis ROM file, it can be played in your favorite Genesis emulation software, on original hardware with a Mega Everdrive flash cartridge, or on the MiSTer FPGA console.
You’ll find download links beyond the break.
This is for retro gamers who love to get very technical with their TVs and monitors. The well known 240p Test Suite, created as an open source software by Artemio Urbina, is available on all sorts of retro consoles, but until now, the Sega Saturn was not among them. A version of the Test Suite has now been ported to Saturn by SegaXtreme forum member hitomi2500 for this year’s Sega Saturn Homebrew Competition. However, the Saturn version is currently work-in-progress, so it may still have some issues that need to be worked out, but for now the port is available for you to mess around with on your Saturn.
Check in after the break to learn more about what 240p Test Suite is and to download it.
We’ve talked al lot about homebrew developers porting games to Genesis/Mega-Drive lately, so lets switch things up with a homebrew Saturn port this time. Developer hotrodx is working on converting the 1992 X-Men arcade beat-em-up by Konami to the Sega Saturn and now has a demo ready for the public to try out.
X-Men is one of the most beloved arcade classics of all time and one of the shining examples of classic beat-em-ups, right up there with Sega’s own Streets of Rage series, but somehow the game never received an official home port on any game console in the 90’s. Decades later, it would finally receive official home ports to PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2010, an iOS port in 2011, and its own Arcade1up home arcade cabinet in 2011. Only the latter is still available, as the digital-only 2010 port was removed from the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Marketplace in 2013 with the iOS version going away in 2014.
The port is early in development, with the demo available as of this writing being version 0.1.1. The demo only consists of the first stage and gives you access to only two characters: Wolverine and Cyclops. Developer hotrodx also has a message displayed in the demo saying that they’re not using any source code derived from the original game and are, instead, eyeballing the whole game, trying to match the arcade game’s feel as much as possible. It sounds difficult, but based on this demo, they seem to be on the right track, but you can try it with an ODE such as a Fenrir, Satiator, or Phøde on real NTSC Saturn hardware and judge for yourself.
The download link will be past the break, along with a video of the demo in action.
Genesis/Mega-Drive homebrew developers are at it again. For a long time now, retro game developer and YouTuber Pigsy, has been hard at work porting Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, the legendary sidescrolling adventure from the PlayStation and Saturn, to the Sega Genesis. Call him crazy, but he’s made some great progress, and now he’s ready to prove it with a playable demo that you can download right now. Pigsy has made a video of the demo, shown above, but also prepared a demo that’s able to run on real Genesis hardware using an Everdrive flash cartridge. You can also play it with an emulator or with the MiSTer FPGA console too.
You can check the description of the video above for the download links, or find them here past the break.
Some of you may recall Hunter Girls, a new Genesis/Mega-Drive game being developed by PCSD Games, which launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the game’s development. On July 30th, 2023, their Kickstarter campaign was launched and then was successfully funded on August 29th. Despite the fact that the game has completed development and cartridges have been manufactured, PCSD Games has been forced to cancel shipment of all Kickstarter rewards due to an unanticipated issue with the firm that managed their Kickstarter campaign, Meridian 4. Fortunately, PSCD Games is currently assisting fans in obtaining refunds from Meridian 4 and will instead sell the game cartridges through their own website.
Check in after the break for extra info on this kerfuffle.
You know what the Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive needed? A port of Irem’s 1987 arcade shooter R-Type. The Master System and NES had one. Even the Turbografx-16 had one. Well, one fan developer, TheRoboZ, decided to rectify that and develop their own brand-new R-Type conversion for the Genesis, and they currently have a demo available for the general public to test out.
This new fan port, titled Mega R-Type, will be a full conversion of the arcade game with all-new features, such as the exclusive stage from the Master System version and a few customization choices from the Turbografx-16 port and even the recent R-Type Dimensions remake. The music has also been remixed, although the original arcade game’s music has also been adapted for the Genesis FM sound chip, and both options are available in-game. This demo is limited to three levels to play, but you can still see the music player and all of the customization choices. The demo also adapts for 60hz and 50hz, so PAL Mega-Drive fans can play without concern.
Download the demo from the Mega R-Type page on itch.io, then open it with your preferred Genesis emulator or flash cartridge—such as the Mega Everdrive series—in your original Genesis/Mega-Drive console. After that, be sure to leave some feedback for TheRoboZ to consider by joining the Mega R-Type community on itch.io by clicking the “Join the community” button at the bottom of the page. You can also follow TheRoboZ on Twitter and provide feedback there. Be sure to also tell us what you think of the demo in the comments and check out a few choice screenshots beyond the break.
Ready for another new Sega Genesis game? The new Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive version of Gunslugs is now available to pre-order in physical cartridge form, complete with box and manual. You can order it from The Retro Room Games right now as either a complete set for $44.99 USD, or just the cartridge and nothing else for $24.99. At the same time, a limited edition Gunslugs t-shirt is also available to pre-order for $20, but only until August 7th, so act quick if you want one. (EDIT: Despite the t-shirt page saying the shirt will not be available past August 7th, it is actually still there. If you try to order one, let us know in the comments if it works.)
Slug your way past the break for extra info.
We return once again to Kickstarter with an all new game for a Sega console. An all new action runner called Hunter Girls, starring three hunter girls of course, is in development for Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive from retro game publisher PSCD Games and has launched on Kickstarter. They have a surprisingly modest financial goal of $4,991 USD and has already made more than half of that goal by the time of this writing.
As an unusual style of game for a console as old as the Sega Genesis, Hunter Girls plays like an endless runner game that you may have played on a mobile device before, though Hunter Girls is not endless. This game stars, by order of their formation within the game, Agnes with her sword and shield, Kim with her bow and arrow, and Flora with her magical staff. All three girls run together automatically and each has their specialty for dealing with enemies in their paths, similar to The Lost Vikings, which is cited as an inspiration on the Kickstarter page. You’ll have to use each girl’s skills at the right time to direct them past each enemy, because if even one of them is attacked, you’ll have to start the level all over again.
Throughout the game, you’ll be treated to full screen cutscenes that flesh out the journey of these titular hunter girls, which are quite detailed and should be enticing enough to get you to check in after the break just to see them.
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.
We all love new games for Sega hardware. Well, here’s another one for ya. Mega Slow Mole is an ultra-difficult, precision platformer being developed by SlowMoleStudio for the Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive. SlowMoleStudio was formed by accomplished animator and filmmaker, Erik Rosenlund, who also animated the claymation trailer for the original NES Slow Mole game. You can see some of his animations on his YouTube page. His 12-year-old son, Linus Rosenlund, created the soundtrack and is currently working on Mega Slow Mole’s soundtrack as well.
This is the latest in their series of Slow Mole games, which started on NES with Slow Mole. Mega Slow Mole is planned to launch sometime within 2023, but SlowMoleStudio has already launched a free demo ROM on their itch.io page, where their earlier Slow Mole games are also available. The full game is already available in beta form on itch.io for $12 USD (Currently on sale at $8.40 as of this writing). Paying for the beta ROM should entitle you to any updated ROM files in the future. Future updates will include more levels and music, along with some secret screens. A physical cartridge release is also planned, but no information is currently available on that yet.
Check out some extra screenshots after the break.
A musical album released in the form of a game cartridge or ROM might sound like an odd concept, but quirky homebrew developer and musician Mike Yedley has done just that, and it’s not even his first one. Not too long ago, he debuted his second Genesis music ROM on his itch.io page, called “mikeyeldey95”. Being a ROM, it can be run in your favorite Genesis emulator or on original hardware with a flash cartridge such as any of the Mega Everdrive line of cartridges. In a very interesting twist, this album also doubles as a retro Windows 95 desktop simulation, full of fun easter eggs and mini-games. You can change the desktop background and color scheme, explore a web browser (This game has no way of actually connecting to the internet), and even explore an MS-DOS environment. There are 11 main songs total, but exploring a bit more can uncover several hidden songs, including some full PSG tunes.
Remember the Senile Team indie Dreamcast game Rush Rush Rally Racing that came out way back in 2009? The game also got a WiiWare release back in 2012 featuring two new modes titled challenge and time attack. Now Senile Team is set to re-release the game as Rush Rush Rally Reloaded back on the SEGA Dreamcast with the two modes that used to be exclusive to the Wii version.
Senile Team isn’t stopping there since they have said Rush Rush Rally Reloaded will also feature re-designed menus, improved graphics, faster loading, optimized video code, and a lot more features. If you want to see everything that is new in Rush Rush Rally Reloaded has to offer hit the jump to check that out.
If you haven’t played the 2004 indie game ‘Cave Story‘ then you are really missing out on a classic PC game. But don’t worry a retro developer is ‘demaking’ the classic for release on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. The game will scale down the graphics to run on the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive 16-bit hardware (I think it still looks pretty damn close though) and will have the full soundtrack (remade for Yamaha YM262 sound).
Not only that, the developer has already released a playable demo of his Cave Story demake. You can download it here. The Cave Story demo is limited to the first few areas of the game. You can also see gameplay of Cave Story running on SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive hardware above.
[Source: Retro Collect]
The 2007 indie Dreamcast game Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles will be receiving a re-release this year, it has been confirmed. Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles had been sold out for years and now developer Yuan Works Co., Ltd has teamed up with DragonBox Shop to re-release their famed puzzle game.
The studio announced that it was working on a new title called ‘Little Ninja‘, after Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles but it seems they are gauging interest for homebrew games, since Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles came out almost a decade ago. Yuan Works Co., Ltd also set up a Patreon to get development for Little Ninja off the ground.
If you haven’t played it Wind and Water: Puzzle Battles it mixes Bejeweled type puzzle gameplay with a over world map and old school JRPG like story elements. The re-release will have bug fixes and is up for pre-order for only $9.36 (plus shipping). Not a bad price at all.