Retro Gaming

Aero The Acro-Bat Genesis/Mega-Drive cartridge reprint now up for pre-order from Limited Run Games

by

Limited Run Games and Sunsoft have teamed up to bring you a new reprint of Aero The Acro-bat (1993) with a box, manual, and high quality translucent “Sparkle Black” cartridge. Pre-orders will be open all throughout November 2024 for just $59.99 USD and the game is estimated to ship to customers in June 2025. The Genesis/Mega-Drive version, as well as the Super Nintendo version, will be available simultaneously. This comes long after LRG’s reprints of Aero The Acro-bat 2 (1995) and Zero The Kamikaze Squirrel (1994). Strange that they decided to sell this trio of games in reverse order of their original releases, but at least now, if you had your chance to get these games, you can finally complete your collection if that’s what you aimed to do.

Unlike Aero 2 or Zero, however, Aero The Acro-Bat on Genesis can still be found very cheap, even complete in box, as of this writing. A brand new copy will currently cost you just over $100, so if you really gotta have a sealed, new copy of Aero The Acro-Bat, LRG’s reprints can be a bargain, as long as you don’t mind the lack of a Sega Seal of Quality. If you just want a copy of Aero for Genesis, you can get a decent copy for a decent price and not have to wait until next Summer to see it. No judgement from us if you got the other two games from LRG and just want to complete your collection of the whole trilogy, though. Fortunately, LRG seems to, at least so far, take printing quality new cartridges more seriously than printing new game discs.

To learn more about this release of Aero The Acro-bat, and to pre-order, glide right in past the break for the skinny.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Rocket Panda now available to purchase on Genesis/Mega-Drive cartridge

by

 

Looking for a new game in a functioning cartridge for your Genesis/Mega-Drive console? Rocket Panda is finally available to purchase as a physical cartridge complete with a box and manual to play on your original Genesis. The game was made available on September 16th, 2024. (Please excuse our tardiness in reporting the news.) 

Rocket Panda was made by Space Pants Games and published by Mega Cat Studios. Both companies collaborated on a Kickstarter campaign to develop this game back in February of this year, and now the game is complete and available to ship to buyers. If you backed that Kickstarter, chances are you may have received your own copy by now if you pledged enough money for one, or you may receive it soon. Be sure to keep up with updates on the Kickstarter page. Everyone else can now buy their own original copy complete in box or just the cartridge on its own. A special Limited Edition, coming with a cartridge of its own unique design, is also available.

For links to purchase directly from Mega Cat Studios, and to learn more about the game, dive on in past the break.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Sonic CD getting regular SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive port by fans

by

Let’s face it, The SEGA CD is expensive and prone to failure. It does offer that incredible CD quality sound but sometimes you just want to play all your classic Sonic the Hedgehog games on the regular old SEGA Genesis / Mega Drive. Guess what? Soon you can.

As part of this year’s Sonic Hacking Contest MDTravis has submitted a sorta demake port by making the once SEGA CD exclusive run on vanilla SEGA Genesis hardware. Like many great fan projects, MDTravis had the help of:

MD Sonic The Hedgehog is slated to get a full release on September 28th, so if your mom hasn’t let you upgrade to a SEGA CD for the last 30+ years, soon you will be able to try Sonic CD!

Edit: Forgot to mention that this would be a port of Sonic CD V0.02 which means it will be a early prototype build being ported over to the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive system.

[via: Time Extension]

1 Comment

Homebrew Saturn port of X-Men arcade gets updated demo, adding 3-player co-op and playable Storm

by

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.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Sega Genesis Mini 3 announced for North America and Japan exclusively; Details and first 10 games revealed (April Fools)

by

Sega, out of nowhere, just announced their newest mini console and successor to the Sega Genesis Mini 2. The Sega Genesis Mini 3 will be releasing on October 16th, 2024 exclusively in North America and Japan (Sorry, Europe, but you better get ready to import.) Unlike the previous two Genesis Mini plug-and-play consoles, this console will release in the exact same condition both in North America and Europe, as the Majesco-built Genesis 3 console was released originally only in North America. This means the console will have the exact same game lineup worldwide and will be known as the Genesis Mini 3 even in Japan.

At the same time, Sega have revealed that the console will include 50 games while also revealing what the first 10 games will be. Like with the previous two Genesis Minis, more games will be revealed gradually throughout the year before the console’s retail release. To find out what the first ten games are, check in after the break while containing your excitement.

Continue Reading ➜

8 Comments

A new Genesis/Mega-Drive action game, Rocket Panda, hits Kickstarter; passes its base goal

by

Another brand-new Genesis/Mega-Drive game has launched on Kickstarter, with the goal of raising funds to finance its development. Rocket Panda, a game developed by Space Pants Games and Mega Cat Studios, is now crowdfunding on Kickstarter and has 18 days left in its campaign. It has also just passed its $15,000 USD goal, so it seems that this is all but locked in, although there is still a stretch goal of $25,000 USD to add an as-of-now unspecified mini-game.

The game puts you in control of the titular Rocket Panda, who must navigate different mazes while avoiding traps and bizarre enemies in order to find the exit. Along the way, you’ll encounter and rescue little badgers to accompany you to the exit, similar to Flicky, Gain Ground, or Sega’s Sonic 3D Blast, except that the badgers also serve as shields to protect you from attacks. As you’d expect, you’ll want to safely guide as many of these badgers to the exit as possible to earn a good score, so fly carefully either way. A demo is also available on the Kickstarter page for you to try right away.

But would you find this to be a game worth supporting with some cash? You can read on past the break and decide for yourself.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Demon Girls homebrew game for Genesis/Mega-Drive demo now available

by

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.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Aero The Acro-Bat 2 Genesis/Mega-Drive cartridge reprint now up for pre-order from Limited Run Games

by

Limited Run Games and Sunsoft are back with another Genesis/Mega-Drive cartridge re-release. You can now get a brand new boxed cartridge of the Genesis version of Aero The Acro-Bat 2 (1995). (By the by, they have not re-released the original Aero The Acro-bat yet, so don’t panic thinking you missed your chance to get the prequel. No word on why they started with the sequel.) Just like with their re-release of Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel, this comes officially licensed in a high quality cartridge complete with box and manual compatible with any official NTSC Genesis console or clone console. The game can be pre-ordered for $69.99 until March 10th, 2024.

Also, like Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel, Aero the Acro-Bat 2, in its original cartridge release form, is a lot more expensive than you might think. Prices for just the cartridge alone are just over $50 USD on the second hand market. Don’t ask me why. Maybe the game’s infamy over the years as an example of the 16-bit mascot craze started by our beloved Sonic the Hedgehog carried some value over the years? Either way, this will be your best chance to get a complete copy of the game for your collection at an affordable price, so make sure you get it while you can.

To learn more about Aero The Acro-Bat 2, and for the pre-order link, check in after the break for the whole skinny.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

240p Test Suite now available for Sega Saturn

by

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.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

New secret level select codes discovered in the Saturn game Bug! after 28 years

by

Bet you didn’t know that the 1995 Sega Saturn game Bug! (1995) had level select codes in it. Well, actually people did know, but nobody knew there were actually two very different ones until now. On January 11th, 2024, 11 days ago, @memory_fallen revealed on Twitter (X) that they had discovered cheat codes in both the North American and Japanese versions of Bug! that had never been revealed before. There’s a bit of an interesting caveat to the new code in the North American version in particular as well. You can check in after the break to see what these new codes are.

Continue Reading ➜

1 Comment

Homebrew port of Konami’s X-Men arcade game being worked on for Saturn; playable demo now available

by

Arcade flyer scan courtesy of arcade-museum.com

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.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Limited Run Games prepares new limited edition Genesis reprint of Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel; pre-orders open until February 4th, 2023

by

Limited Run Games have returned with another special reprint of an unassuming Genesis/Mega-Drive classic. This time it’s Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel (1994). This comes to us officially licensed from original publisher Sunsoft in an all-new white and red cartridge with a case and manual for only $69.99. Pre-orders will be open from January 5th, 2024 to February 4th, 2024, so act fast if you’re interested.

Most people might remember this as one of the infamous examples of mascot platformers made to capitalize on the Sonic mania that ran amok in the Genesis years, and it is, but Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel is one of the few that’s garnered a cult following in the time since its release. An original copy is actually more expensive than you might expect too. As of this writing, even just a loose cartridge will run you over $100. Yes, two zeroes. That may still be on the low side of things compared to some of the games Retro-Bit has made collector’s edition reprints of, but Limited Run Games’s reprint is still quite a bargain if you wish to bring Zero into your Genesis collection.

To learn more about Zero, check in past the break.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Official Genesis/Mega-Drive 99Vidas port “Mega 99Vidas” announced; physical cartridge coming soon

by

Announced just yesterday in their QByte Connect 2023 showcase, Brazilian game publisher QByte Interactive have announced an official Genesis/Mega-Drive port of 99Vidas, a classic indie beat-em-up that they released to modern platforms in 2016. No release date was given yet, but they have made it clear that they intend to make this available as a working Genesis cartridge, giving enthusiasts of original hardware something new to look forward to.

Check in after the break for more info on this exciting new retro game and the original 99Vidas game.

Continue Reading ➜

No Comments

Wireless Pro Saturn controllers with hall effect analog sticks announced by Retro-Bit; coming December

by

What’s that? I think that’s the sound of Retro-Bit making another announcement.

If you need a new Sega Saturn controller, they’ve had you covered since 2019, but now they’ve got something new to offer that they kept people waiting four years for: the new Wireless Pro Saturn controllers, in both black and Japanese white with 2.4 Ghz wireless technology for original Saturn consoles, Nintendo Switch, and computers. This could very well be the ultimate Saturn controller.

And yes, people have been waiting with bated breath for this controller since Retro-Bit first revealed it at CES 2019, but wasn’t able to say much throughout the years since besides that it was never cancelled. Retro-Bit cites the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, the ultimate party pooper, as the main factor for its delay in their own timeline of their collaboration with Sega. Even so, salivating fans kept asking about it on social media after every other Sega controller they’d made was announced. (Not to mention asking about their new Dreamcast controller, which there is still no more news for yet) The wait will soon finally end, as the estimated release date has finally been made: December 2023. Let’s hope it can make it out in time for Christmas.

But enough about that. Time to wait a few seconds more as you check in past the break to hear more info. (Unless your internet is out, in which case, I feel bad for ya.)

Continue Reading ➜

4 Comments

Earthion releasing for Genesis/Mega-Drive and modern consoles in 2024 from Limited Run Games

by

Looking forward to the new Genesis/Mega-Drive scrolling shooter from Yuzo Koshiro and Ancient known as Earthion? We have learned from them and Superdeluxe Games at this year’s Tokyo Game Show that Earthion is on track to release in 2024 both as a cartridge for Genesis consoles and on modern consoles from Superdeluxe Games and Limited Run Games. The former will handle Japanese distribution and the latter will distribute the game internationally. Put some money aside for that now if you want it.

Of course, when more concrete info comes out about when you can buy the game and how much it will cost, we’ll be sure to let you know as we come closer to 2024. Until then, tell us in the comments below how excited you are for this game.

Before we leave you to absorb this news, here’s an interesting fact about the “YKGGG” sign shown with the Sega font in the intro of Earthion straight from Koshiro-san.

1 Comment