Taxman’s Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2 Definitive Mobile Ports Finally get Decompiled by Fans Allowing Unofficial PSVita and PC ports

I will admit that I’m not really well versed on how this whole reverse engineering works, but thankfully twitter user Rubberduckycooly does and has now decompiled Christian “Taxman” Whitehead’s Sonic the Hedgehog 1 & 2 mobile ports, which are considered by fans as the definitive versions of these titles.

You can check out Rubberduckycooly’s github page for future updates on this project.

This project would allow us to run Sonic the Hedgehog 1 and 2 mobile ports on other platforms natively. So far we have seen people posting that its working on Windows, Mac, Linux, and the PlayStation Vita! This could also mean we can get fan ports on other hacked handhelds or consoles as well, but we shall see where the project goes. From what I understand, rubberduckycooly used the Sonic CD SDK base to get these ports on PC, Vita; so we shall see what happens in the future.

Really though, why hasn’t SEGA released these versions on all current consoles? Am I the only one that things its a waste to keep them mobile only?

Craig Stitt shares his ‘Boomer the Turtle’ designs that were cut from Sonic the Hedgehog 2


Craig Stitt has been posting a lot of old video game content on the SEGA Retro Gamers Facebook group, if you don’t know Craig Stitt worked at SEGA Technical Insitute on Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Kid Chameleon, Sonic Spinball, Spyro the Dragon and many more games. He was also one of the artist at SEGA Technical Institute that was part of the competition to create Sonic’s buddy, for the sequel, which we all know was won by a Fox we all know as Tails. But did you know that Craig Stitt designed “Boomer” or as the document called him “Boomy” as competition for the orange fox?

For Sonic 2 we needed a buddy / player two for Sonic. This little guy was my submission. He would have been tough with the shell, but vunerable, needing Sonic’s help, if he got flipped on his back. He would have helped out Sonic by being able to ‘fly’ if Sonic pushed him up to speed. Then Sonic would jump up and ride on his back over lava, spikes etc etc.” – Craig Stitt

When we did notes for the SEGA Talk Sonic the Hedgehog 2 podcast, we talked about “I wonder what Boomer would have looked like” and I love that Craig Stitt posted these documents so I can rest easy. So what you think of Boomer the Turtle?

SEGA Talk Podcast #50: Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (1992)

On this, our milestone 50th episode of SEGA Talk, George and Barry look back on the development, release and legacy of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 for the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive. We cover the game’s unique creation in America, the debut of Miles “Tails” Prower and the comics and cartoon adaptations that took place following the game’s release.

Support us on Patreon! Get early access, tell us what games to cover, and have your SEGA memories read at the end and more!

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If you want to give us feedback, suggest a topic for the next podcast or want to ask a question for us to answer on the next episode you can add  them as a comment below or send theme directly to our email. Make sure you use subject line ‘SEGA Talk’ and as always, thanks for listening!

As a shock to no one, there are no plans for SEGA AGES Sonic 3 & Knuckles


Going to be honest, I picked this story up because our favorite Sonic the Hedgehog movie hater Tristan Oliver (no relations to John Oliver) picked this up from a Game Watch interview with SEGA Ages head honcho Yosuke Okunari and Naoki Horii where they talk about the upcoming SEGA AGES Sonic the Hedgehog 2 release.

While its awesome we are getting SEGA AGES Sonic the Hedgehog 2, everyone wanted to know if there would be plans to give the same treatment to Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles. Especially since SEGA AGES Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will have Knuckles playable. Sadly, according to M2, there are no plans. According to the team, the second wave will be decided by SEGA but as hardcore Sonic the Hedgehog fans know; SEGA has stopped Sonic 3 & Knuckles releases because of copyright issues with Michael Jackson’s estate.

The twitter account @gosokkyu did a translation on how they got Knuckles in SEGA AGES and goes into detail on how the game was coded and how ‘lock-on’ technology worked and even how M2 didn’t know about Sonic Mania Plus content until it was announced.

SEGA AGES Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Puyo Puyo 2 coming to western territories on February 20th

The month of February seems to be sequel month, as two hit SEGA follow ups are coming soon to the SEGA AGES series, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Puyo Puyo 2! Both releases are planned for a February 20th release date on the Nintendo Switch eShop for a price of $7.99 (and equivalent), in both North American and European territories.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is the sequel to the original Sonic the Hedgehog released a year later. Like its predecessor, you take on the role of the titular Sonic as you run through different zones avoiding hazards and beating Badniks. However this time Sonic is joined by his best friend Miles Tails Prower, and has a new move called the Spin Dash that allows him to rev up and dash forward in a ball. This SEGA AGES version comes with the original game, but it also includes new features like the optional Drop Dash, ring counter like SEGA AGES Sonic the Hedgehog, and most notably Knuckles the Echidna being playable like he was when you connected a copy of Sonic 2 to Sonic & Knuckles.

Puyo Puyo 2 (aka Puyo Puyo Tsu) you once again take on the role of young mage Arle Nadja, as you are tasked with climbing up Satan’s tower by beating opponents and earning enough points to move up to the next floor. Like it’s predecessor, the main objective is to beat the opponent by dumping garbage called Nuisance Puyos onto their field, but Puyo Puyo 2 also polishes up the gameplay with new features such as offsetting, double rotation, and All Clear. With this SEGA AGES release, you also get a new mode called Endurance Mode where you must fight against every opponent in the tower, along with quality of life modifications such as the option to change the appearance of the Puyos and the ability to read up the descriptions of every character. Like its predecessor SEGA AGES Puyo Puyo, you also have the option to set up matches with people around the globe via internet.

[Source: SEGA AGES website]

Nintendo Switch SEGA Ages Out Run, Columns II, Thunder Force AC, and Sonic 2 New Content Detailed

The other day it was announced that SEGA Ages would double its output by putting out four more titles. I guess we can consider the first four released the first wave which included: Sonic the Hedgehog, Thunder Force IV, Phantasy Star, and Alex Kidd in Miracle World. As you know, with past M2 re-releases, they like to add new features to said game. Right now we are looking at all the new details and new content they added for wave 2’s re-releases.

Wave 2 is Out Run, Columns II, Thunder Force AC, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. The following was translated by Gematsu.

New SEGA AGES titles revealed, Sonic and Thunder Force IV releasing next week

We have some SEGA AGES news for all your Nintendo Switch owners out there! It has been revealed that Sonic the Hedgehog and Thunder Force IV will release September 20 to the Nintendo eShop priced at ¥999. Don’t let the Japanese price throw you, this will be a worldwide release.

Also revealed are more games in the SEGA AGES lineup! In addition to the above titles and Phantasy Star, Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Gain Ground and Space Harrier fans can also expect Columns II Online Battle, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, OutRun and Thunder Force AC. No further details have been revealed, but we will be sure to share release dates once we learn of them.

[Sources: Famitsu, My Nintendo News, Japanese Nintendo]

Miles “Tails” Prower character designer Yasushi Yamaguchi creates new artwork to celebrate the character’s 25th anniversary

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Seen above (click for high res version) is new art from Yasushi Yamaguchi aka Judy Totoya, the character designer of Sonic the Hedgehog’s trusty sidekick Miles “Tails” Prower. Yasushi’s design came out of an internal competition at STI where numerous designs were submitted, including a rocket-powered turtle named Boomer, but in the end Yasushi’s two-tailed orange fox named Miles Prower won out. As Tails turned 25 years old with the 25th anniversary of the release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in November, 2017, Yasushi decided to create new art to celebrate. Yasushi also revealed some facts about the character’s creation, seen after the break!

Sonic the Hedgehog 2 remastered joins the SEGA Forever lineup – Happy Sonic 2sday!

Happy Sonic 2sday! The beloved sequel to SEGA’s Sonic the Hedgehog turns 25 years old today. To celebrate, the 2013 remastered version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 from Taxman and Stealth (of Sonic Mania fame) is now free-to-play (ad-supported) on iOS and Android devices. Of course, if you already own the game, you can restore your purchase and wipe away those pesky ads.

This version of the game is excellent, we even named it our favorite SEGA game of 2013, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is so beloved that it made the top of our Top 100 SEGA Games list. So if you haven’t tried it yet, now is the perfect time to do so!

SEGA News Bits: Top 100 SEGA Games Discussion

On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we discuss the Top 100 SEGA Games list we posted up earlier this month, so if you haven’t checked it out give it a gander. Join us to listen to us rant about how the list was put together, which games surprised us on the list, which games didn’t make the list, how SEGA games are under-appreciated on other top gaming lists, and much more. Sadly we don’t cover all the top 100 SEGA games that are represented on the list, that would take too long, but I hope the games we talked about was entertaining enough. Let us know if you agree or disagree with the top 100 SEGA games list and what your top three SEGA games would be in the comments below.

If you enjoy our SEGA News Bits segments and want to support us: Give us a sub and give this video a like so it shows up on more like minded fans YouTube recommendations. You know, how that new YouTube algorithm is.

New SEGA 3D Archives 3: Final Stage trailer shows off introduction, Alien Syndrome, and Columns in action

SEGA has released a new trailer for SEGA 3D Archives 3: Final Stage, the third collection in the “3D Archive” series. This trailer demonstrates every game in the collection, including Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Bare Knuckle 2, After Burner II, and more, most notably the first time Alien Syndrome and Columns are shown in action. It also reveals the introduction of the game, highlighting the different games in SEGA 3D Archives 3: Final Stage.

SEGA 3D Archives 3: Final Stage (by extension the special SEGA 3D Archives 1.2.3 Triple Pack) releases on December 22 for ‎¥4990.

Casino Nights DLC now free to all Sonic Generations owners on Steam

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In a surprising announcement at the end of this week, Sega has made the Casino Nights DLC free to anyone who owns Sonic Generations on Steam.

The news was revealed rather quietly a couple of days ago in a post to the Sonic Generations page on the storefront:

We are pleased to announce that from this point onwards, the ‘Casino Night’ DLC will be made available to ALL current and future Sonic Generations customers at no additional cost.

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The Casino Nights DLC allows players to experience a pinball map based upon the beloved stage from the Sega Genesis classic Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

This is definitely a welcome surprise for a game released nearly 5 years ago. Naturally, some Negative Nancies in the comments on the post were immediately asking for a refund if they had purchased the DLC in the past. Even if they did so years ago.

The DLC itself has been met with many negatives reviews on Steam from buyers who did not read the description before purchasing it. Many seemed to blindly buy the package, thinking that they would be playing the classic original stage instead of brand new content inspired by it. We here at SEGAbits understand the issue for these Steam users: a one sentence description is a lot to sit through!

Have you played the Casino Nights DLC? Will you be downloading it this weekend to check it out? Let us know in the comments!

Tokyo Game Show 2016: SEGA 3D Archives 3: Final Stage debut trailer

SEGA at Tokyo Game Show 2016 unveiled the first trailer for SEGA 3D Archives 3: Final Stage, showing off footage of the currently 6 revealed games. This includes Sonic the Hedgehog 2, After Burner II, Super Hang-On, Bare Knuckle II (Aka Streets of Rage 2 in the NTSC/PAL regions), Gunstar Heroes, and the new exclusive Turbo Outrun. Notably, it specifically mentions that Turbo Outrun will run at 60FPS, so no worries for those frame rate junkies out there. Sadly, the trailer doesn’t reveal any new information, so if you want to know what the mysterious last 3 games are you’ll have to wait longer.

SEGA 3D Archives 3: Final Stage will release on the Nintendo 3DS on December 22nd 2016 in Japan.

SEGA News Bits: SEGA 3D Fukkoku Archives 3 Announced Reaction

If you missed the news, SEGA has announced SEGA 3D Fukkoku Archives 3, which is best known in the west as SEGA 3D Classics Collection. This is the third volume released in Japan, while we only got one in the West. On this episode of the SEGA News Bits we discuss all the confirmed games for the SEGA 3D Fukkoku Archives 3, what hasn’t been announced and what Japanese fans wanted to see. This is a pretty exciting collection of games, so let us know in the comments what you want to see added and how SEGA could bring it west!

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SEGA 3D Archives 3 FINAL STAGE compilation announced for Nintendo 3DS

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It has just been announced that SEGA 3D Archives 3 FINAL STAGE, a physical collection of SEGA 3D Classics will be coming to Japan. In the West, we only got SEGA 3D Archives 2 as SEGA 3D Classics Collection earlier this year.

Games confirmed in SEGA 3D Archives 3 FINAL STAGE:

  • After Burner II
  • Super Hang-On
  • Streets of Rage 2
  • Sonic the Hedgehog 2
  • Gunstar Heroes 
  • More to come

According to SEGA’s questionnaire that Japanese fans filled out lots of people want to see titles like Wing War, Gain Ground, Outrunners, and Virtua Racing to join the SEGA 3D Classics line-up. Famitsu didn’t reveal which was the number one requested game, you will have to wait for September 15 to find out since that’s when their magazine comes out. But let me spoil it for you, I bet you it was Virtua Fighter. SEGA 3D Archives 3 FINAL STAGE could get new timed exclusive titles, just like the last volume had Puyo Puyo 2 and Drift Stage as timed exclusives. SEGA 3D Archives 3 FINAL STAGE is set to hit Japan on December 22, 2016. No idea if SEGA West will plan on bringing it over.

[Source: Famitsu]