Reviews

Earthion Review – Ancient Returns to the SEGA Genesis

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Where does the time go? It only feels like yesterday that I reported on the one and only Yuzo Koshiro being hard at work on his first new Genesis/Mega-Drive game since 1995’s Beyond Oasis, which we later heard would be named Earthion. Now, before I even knew it, Earthion had released on Steam and just came out for modern consoles earlier this month. Limited Run Games also started pre-orders for physical copies of the game on those modern platforms until September 28th, as well, but have yet to open pre-orders on cartridges for your old Genesis consoles. (Sorry for not letting you know sooner.)

Yuzo Koshiro’s studio Ancient has been kind enough to offer us a review code for Earthion on Steam, and I have run the game through its paces many a times. Now that the wait to experience this modern Genesis classic is finally over, it’s time for me to report on how this shooter turned out. Suffice it to say, the game pushes the Genesis to limits never thought possible, but is the game fun to play? Find out now after the break.

(Neither Ancient nor Limited Run Games have influenced this review or seen it before it has gone live.)

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Two Point Hospital Review: Laughter (And Good Gameplay) Is the Best Medicine (PC/Steam)

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Over the past few months, I’ve been digging in to my backlog of games that I have purchased in the past and never got around to them. Doing so, I’m glad that I did as it expands my game knowledge and peaks interest in other genres I’ve never even considered. One of those games was Two Point Hospital, which if you asked me a few years ago if I was ever going to play it, I would have said probably not. Unfortunately, I wrote it off as generic and since it was focused as a PC resource management sim, I never really gave it any attention. Come to January of 2024 and I played a small indie game called dotAGE and it was about taking care of a village of people and preparing them for future doom and disaster events. It was the only full game I’ve had played in the genre and it let me open up the flood gates for more games in similar fashion. Having played the Sims in the past, TPH may be thought of as a clone or ripoff of it and that can’t be further from the truth. In my opinion, it was if you combined the RM system from dotAGE and other games like it and the customization of your world/home in the Sims. And what you get is an amazing, hilarious, and fun game for hours on end building hospitals to your liking and style.

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Review: Parking Garage Rally Circuit (Walaber)

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If you yearn to revisit the glorious need for speed that Sega provided you with stellar 90’s arcade racers like Daytona USA, Sega Rally Championship, or Manx TT Superbike, you’re not the only one. A few developers have begun taking a crack at recapturing that spirit with some brand new games. Today, we’re putting a spotlight on one of the newest games of that bunch: Parking Garage Rally Circuit. Developed by Walaber, whom we’ve had the pleasure of speaking to about this game before, PGRC aims to be the Sega Saturn racing hit that never was. A frantic time trial racer that aims to emulate the look of 90’s 3D console racers to an extreme degree, a lot of passion for that unforgettable time in gaming history is as clear as the blue, blue skies the game graces you with, but does that passion equal a game that’s as worthy of your time as most any racer Sega had developed during that decade? Find a cozy parking spot to sit back, relax, and read through our review of Parking Garage Rally Circuit after the break.

(A Steam copy of the game was provided by Walaber for the purpose of this review. They have not influenced the review in any other way and have not read it before it went online.)

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Experience Review: CAMP Meet & Greet with Sonic the Hedgehog

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With Sonic X Shadow Generations just days away, SEGA has gone all out in the lead up to the game with cafes, concerts and touring motorcycles. One such event that should not be missed is the Sonic the Hedgehog meet and greet at Camp stores across the United States!

Taking place in Atlanta, Dallas and Chicago, this limited time event allows young fans and families to meet Sonic himself for a digital and printed photo, take part in a Sonic music dance party, put on some Sonic and friends temporary tattoos, color Sonic coloring sheets and decorate your own frame to hold your photo with Sonic. Thanks to our friends at SEGA, we were able to attend the local Camp store and experience the meet and greet for ourselves!

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Cosmic Smash VRS Review (Meta Quest 2) – A Smashing Triumph!

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RapidEyeMovers and Wolf & Wood have joined forces to bring back the nostalgia of SEGA Russo’s cult classic, Cosmic Smash, in a stunning virtual reality experience. Now available on Meta Quest 2, 3, Pro + Pico 4, and PlayStation VR2, with a non-VR version for PS5 slated for later this summer, Cosmic Smash VRS catapults players into an intergalactic adventure like never before.

We were lucky enough to receive a review copy of the game for Meta Quest 2 to share our thoughts on the game. Does the virtual reality version of SEGA Russo’s cult classic fair up to the original? Find out in our review of Cosmic Smash VRS!

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Review: Retro-Bit SEGA Genesis BIG6 Arcade Pad (Wired Console & 2.4 GHz Wireless versions)

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Thanks to the folks at Retro-Bit, I was able to get my hands on their newest SEGA controller offerings: The BIG6 line of SEGA Genesis arcade pads. If you’ve followed retro gaming news you’d know that in the past ten years there has been great advancements in technology to improve the quality of life for fans of classic games. We’ve seen everything from flash cartridges to full on modern rebuilds of classic hardware, and on the controller end we’ve seen various companies and fan funded initiatives set out to improve button mapping, battery life, wireless efficiency or just create crazy controller hybrids. With the BIG6 line of controllers from Retro-Bit, the company has done all these things and in turn created a product I never knew I wanted and one I now cannot live without.

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Sonic Frontiers Review – The Modern Sonic Adventure Sequel

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Sonic Frontiers promises to be the biggest, longest and most open Sonic adventure to date and we here at SEGAbits have been playing the game for a few weeks. Here is our full Sonic Frontiers review, did Sonic Team really nail the open world design or is this just another experiment gone wrong? Find out!

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Four Wude Completed, Yuan Introduced | Shenmue the Anime EP 9 Review/Discussion

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On this episode of Shenmue the Animation After Show we discuss Episode 9: Distinct. On this episode our young hero finishes his quest to discover the Four Wude, we are finally introduced to controversial Shenmue thug Yuan, and more!

If you enjoy our Shenmue The Animation After Show review segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is

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Shenmue the Anime Episode 4: Shackles Review/Discussion

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The Shenmue The Animation After Show is back this time looking at the the Episode 4 ‘Shackles’ giving us more of a look at the iconic character Goro, Fuku-San gives up his piggy bank to Ryo, we meet the Mad Angels, and Nazomi has been kidnapped? Oh my!

If you enjoy our Shenmue The Animation After Show review segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a thumbs up so it shows up on more like-minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that YouTube algorithm is

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SEGA Game Gear Micro Hardware Review – Bite-Sized Nostalgia

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In June 2020, SEGA revealed the Game Gear Micro. Prior to the full announcement, fans speculated on if this would be the successor to the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Mini, how big the actual device was, how many games would be on the handheld and if it would receive a western release. Once the details were confirmed, internet reaction – specifically from westerners – was largely negative. With dimensions of 80×43 mm (about the size of a Dreamcast VMU) and four colors featuring four unique games each, the Micro truly was living up to its name. Micro in size, micro in game lineup, and micro in not living up to expectations set by the Genesis/Mega Drive Mini.

Now, five months later, I have the full lineup in hand (literally, I can hold all four in one hand!) and can make my own determination on the Game Gear Micro. Is it worthy of an import?

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Review: SEGA Master System: A Visual Compendium

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In the last few years we have been getting more officially licensed SEGA books than ever before, with each of these books offering readers a unique slice of SEGA history. While most of the books have a unique take or format, it seems that most of these books try to center around SEGA’s most popular console, the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. It seems a lot of publishers aren’t very interested in covering SEGA before this time period, that is until Bitmap Book’s Master System: A Visual Compendium.

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Review: Judgment (PS4) Back to Kamurocho, With A New Perspective

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Judgment is an open world action and adventure game that takes place in Kamurocho, the same setting from the Yakuza series, where you play as Takuyuki Yagami, a former lawyer who later becomes a private detective after a tragic event involving a previous case. Now Yagami must take on a gruesome serial murder case involving a mysterious killer that is gouging the eyes of his yakuza victims. As you take on the case, you’ll be in for a journey where you’ll make use of your detective skills to not only solve the mysterious behind this case but also take on side cases for the residences of Kamurocho, while enjoying the mini games during your spare time.

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Team Sonic Racing Review – Roadside Assistance (PS4, Xbox One, Switch, PC)

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Nearly ten years ago, SEGA and the Sheffield based developer Sumo Digital teamed up to bring Sonic and a number of SEGA franchises to the world of mascot kart racers. Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing was a hit with fans of SEGA, Sonic and drift-focused racing games and only two years later the studio returned with the even more successful Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed. Transformed not only outdid the previous game in fan service, but also in ambition. Players controlled transforming vehicles with three distinct modes in tracks that would change with each lap. After a seven year break, SEGA and Sumo Digital are back with Team Sonic Racing. Fans are undoubtably wondering what to expect from this third outing, though the lead up to the game has probably put fans in more of a place of uncertainty than excitement. Is Team Sonic Racing a worthy follow-up, or is it a step back for the series?

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Review: ToeJam and Earl Back in the Groove

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Disclaimer: The author of the review is a Kickstarter Backer and received a copy of the PC version through the campaign. A Nintendo Switch review copy was also provided by the via the game’s PR team.

ToeJam and Earl have returned during a time that could not be more appropriate for not only SEGA fanatics but also for the roguelite genre’s recent surge in popularity with ToeJam and Earl Back in the Groove. The game serves as a return of the adventure-like aspect from first game, serving as an all-star tribute to the history of the franchise and provides a strong artful representation of the culture with it’s cast of characters and musical appreciation. Starting as a Kickstarter project in 2015 this allowed the developers to stick closer to the first game without having to bend to publisher direction and create the long awaited follow-up to the original ToeJam and Earl. Despite the long development time, having to shave off a few goals, (Sorry Wii U) and going through two publishers, the game succeeds bringing the first game’s roguelike experience up to date with bigger multiplayer opportunities while struggling with performance issues on consoles.

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Shining Resonance Refrain Review – AKA Tales of Resonance (PS4, Nintendo Switch)

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It’s hard to believe that Shining Resonance Refrain is the first Shining series game to come outside of Japan in over a decade. While the franchise use to be a stable of SEGA back in the 90s, it seemed that us Westerns have been kept in the dark on the recent releases, until now. Shining Resonance Refrain is a definitive release of the PlayStation 3 exclusive Shining Resonance. So was the wait for the return of the Shining series worth it?

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