RetroN 3: Play your SEGA and Nintendo in harmony


So you want to play your SEGA Mega Drive/Genesis, but your brother has the Super Nintendo hooked up? Fear no more, now you can play SNES and Genesis off the same console, they even threw in NES as well. That is 3 consoles, all in one. This isn’t the first time a company have done this, but this one looks fairly good.

The console has 2 controller ports for each platform, so you don’t have to use a Genesis pad to play NES games. Unless you really want to. So yes, this will work with your original controllers from the official console. The console already comes packed with ‘wireless’ controllers. If you like that stuff. You get to choose either red or black for the console. Cost? $69.99.

[Product Page]

Cancelled Dreamcast games that looked awesome


When I was in middle school, all I did was read the Official Dreamcast magazine and look at the long list of upcoming games. There is always something about seeing new information about a game before it hits the store shelves, especially when those games you are looking forward to never make it to the shelves. You are stuck wondering what those games could have been, if they came out.

Here is my salute to the most awesome looking cancelled Dreamcast games.

First ever screens of Sonic the Hedgehog


June 7th, 1990, SEGA showed off Sonic the Hedgehog to the public at the Tokyo Game Show.  When they showed it, the game was 2 months into development. So what they showed was very early.

Above is one of the first screens ever shown to the public and you can tell much has changed. First of all the background, from its odd city and mountains was changed in the final product. Though, regardless of stuff being changed, the art style and vision seemed to be there from day one.  The other screen that 1up had was the early title screen, which looks a lot like the original only without the Green Hill Zone backdrop.

[Source: 1up]

SEGA bringing 16-bit classics to Steam

SEGA will be bringing some of its SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive classics to a PC near you starting June 1st. SEGA’s first games released will be Golden Axe, Ecco the Dolphin, and Vectorman.

SEGA stated they will cost $2.99 per title. The games will be coming to Steam and “other platforms,” but lets be honest, we all probably use Steam.

SEGA sent out screens for Gain Ground, Altered Beast, Space Harrier, Crack Down, Sonic 3D Blast, and Shadow Dancer; assuming these games will be coming out as well. I did not upload screens of the games because we already know what they look like.

[Source: Joystiq]

Alpha Protocol features a SEGA Saturn


This is probably the best news piece out of Alpha Protocol, it has a SEGA Saturn! Reminds me of Shenmue and it also having a SEGA Saturn. Not that it made sense in that game, since it was the 80’s.

But who cares, lets all go on youtube now and watch Segata Sanshiro adverts and wonder if the 3-D SEGA Saturn in game lets you play some Saturn games like on Shenmue.

[Source: UK:R]

3D Dot Game Heroes can do Master System

Made by IGN’s Retro devision. 3D Dot Game Heroes is a throw back to retro titles with a weird, cube like graphical effects (3D pixels, if you will). The game has recently been released in the west by Atlus, on the Playstation 3.

Good to see that retro, especially 8-bit focused, get some SEGA love. Usually Nintendo hogs up all the spot light.

If you own the game, you can import IGN’s Master System characters (Opa-Opa and Mick), download here.

[Thanks: Monkeroony]

SEGA Saturn surprise launch announcement anniversary

Oh, SEGA,  just to 1up Sony you guys decided to launch your console early. 15 years ago today, SEGA CEO Tom Kalinske stood in front of the press and announced that the SEGA Saturn would launch early do to “high consumer demand”. The announcement was made at the first ever E3.

“Many Americans have gone to the extent of paying $ 800 and more for Sega Saturn units from Japan,” Kalinske explained. “We’ve decided to bring the product to market earlier than scheduled to meet the high consumer demand, to refine our marketing strategy over the summer, prior to the important fall season, and to get a headstart on the competition.”

The SEGA Saturn launched at the price of $399.99 for the stand alone version and $499.99 with Virtua Fighter (also came with a disc that showed other titles).

Hit the jump to read SEGA’s press release from 1995. It is like going back in time.

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Sonic loves drinking Coca-Cola

Being a person that likes odd stuff released by SEGA, especially in the early 90’s, I had to post this badge used by MGM, Cannon Cinemas and obviously sponsored by Coca-Cola.

Very odd stance that Sonic has going on here, it looks like he is giving himself the Michael Jackson cock grab. If you are interested in the badge, you can buy it on eBay (auction).

[Via GoNintendo]

Retro SEGA characters to be in Neptune


Do you guys remember Neptune? The console war RPG game being published by SEGA in Japan? Well it has been confirmed that retro SEGA characters will make cameo appearance. What characters? No idea, yet.

The ‘listing’ in Game Star website says resurrect retro SEGA characters; so I would not be counting Sonic and the gang to return. Someone that has not been back in awhile… humm…

If that was not enough, it also talks about a new photo feature. You can take pictures from your Playstation 3 photo album and use them during battles and to customize your clothing. Interesting indeed.

[Source: Siliconera]

Shenmue and Jet Set Radio XBLA leaks look busted

You saw us post them as a rumor, that both Shenmue and Jet Set Radio were coming to XBLA. There have  been numerous PartnerNet leaks, newest one being Crazy Taxi, but this one came from a shady source who calls himself the XBOX360LEAKER.

Not only that, other people that have PartnerNet can’t seem to find traces of Jet Set Radio or Shenmue on the services. When users on NeoGAF contacted “XBOX360LEAKER” he said he got the games off of “Test Net”, a service that does not exist. Even worse, he left traces of his photoshop work behind on his ImageShack account.

I think he took advantage of all the news about Dreamcast leaks, decided to play on some classics that fans wanted. A shame really.

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The Last Boss: The Magician

Welcome to the first ever ‘The Last Boss’, where I’ll be covering a different Sega Boss Character/Fight each article. It’s something I hope to do on a semi-regular basis, and as you well know there are a lot of unique and great ones to cover. In an ironic fashion, lets dive into the First Last Boss, The House of the Dead series’ Magician.

The Magician, like all other bosses in the House of the Dead Series (barring Overkill) is named after a Tarot Card. In Tarot cards, the Magician is representative of ‘creation by willpower and desire’. In the House of the Dead Games, he is representative of lots of fireballs and repeatedly inserting more money into the machine as he kills you again and again. And again.

New Gain Ground game announced

Do you guys remember Gain Ground? Its that one game that SEGA keeps on putting in those Genesis/Mega Drive compilations and you ask yourself why they do it. Well, now they are making a new entry to the franchise, mobile only and in Japan. Guess the title? Gain Ground Again.

The game comes out today (or yesterday, don’t know the date in Japan). Gain Ground Again lets you team up with other users, much like the older counter part. We have screens of the game below, not too impressive graphically.

[Thanks: STORM!]

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Top 10 arcade games that need to come to PSN/XBLA


Afterburner Climax comes out today on XBLA and tomorrow for PSN, who would have thought we’d ever see the game hit consoles? I didn’t. Now to celebrate the release, I put together 10 other arcade only SEGA games that need to come out on PSN and XBLA.

Hit the jump to see the list. If you guys have a arcade game I failed to mention, throw it up in the comments.