16-Bit Blast Processing Heroes - Ecco, Vectorman, Ristar, Kid Chameleon, etc

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SEGA Talk Podcast : Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse (1990)

Before Sonic the Hedgehog, there was Mickey Mouse.
In November 1990, Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse released almost simultaneously in America, Europe, and Japan to the SEGA Genesis and Mega Drive consoles.
At the time, the game was visually stunning, described in one video preview as “beautiful”, “brilliant” and continuing the tradition of Disney animation.
On top of that, the platforming was brimming with inventive platforming elements accompanied by catchy, whimsical music.

Article : http://segabits.com/blog/2019/09/26/sega-talk-podcast-26-castle-of-illusion-starring-mickey-mouse-1990/

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Behind the Design: Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse

Contrary to popular belief, Castle of Illusion’s development was not confined merely to Japan.
Sega of America and Disney both had major influence and direct involvement with the game’s design.
Along with the actual design and programming, Disney Producer Stephen Butler collaborated with Sega of America’s Senior Producer Jim Huether to ensure that Castle of Illusion remained true to the Mickey Mouse character.
Working from California, Butler and Huether coordinated with Sega and Disney in Japan and provide suggestions and feedback.

Article : https://www.sega-16.com/2017/09/behind-the-design-castle-of-illusion-starring-mickey-mouse/

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Quackshot Starring Donald Duck
Smooth animations and unique landscapes for each level

Quackshot came at a time when Sega were definitely in their golden age, and they were able to make gold out of almost everything they touched.
Even a game based on Michael Jackson songs became a classic due to their brilliance.
It’s not only one of the best Disney games ever made, but one of the best platformers on the Genesis as a whole.

Article : http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/quackshot-starring-donald-duck/

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World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck
An imaginative world with plenty of level variety

World of Illusion was a great example of a well done sequel, in that it took the basic idea of the original (a Mickey Mouse sidescroller) and built upon it while bringing it into a fresh new world.
The two playable characters and co-op play were great additions, and the graphics received a beautiful facelift from what Castle of Illusion brought to the table two years prior.

Article : http://segabits.com/blog/2014/03/27/retro-review-world-of-illusion-starring-mickey-mouse-and-donald-duck/

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The Making of Castle of Illusion, Quackshot and World of Illusion

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAAyP9KkQxQ

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SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive Mini Review – Mini Console, Mega Heart

It’s is solidly made, but it has one major flaw due to it being so small.
It’s extremely light, which while making sense since it is a miniature replicate, it also means that a lot of the weight was sacrificed, which in turn means that there’s always a risk of you accidentally yanking on the console and sending it flying.
If the system had slightly more weight to it and the bottom having more rubber, this problem would of been fixed easily.
However this really small size also means that it’s very portable.
You can stick the entire system and the controllers in a purse, and bring it over to a friend’s house to play some co-op games like Streets of Rage II or Toejam and Earl.

Article : http://segabits.com/blog/2019/09/21/sega-genesis-mega-drive-mini-review-mini-console-mega-heart/

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Legends of 16-Bit Game Development Kickstarter Launch

Some of the many fascinating stories told in Legends of 16-Bit Game Development include:

1. Hideyuki Suganami’s inspiration for the boss Seven Force
2. Maegawa’s strange meeting with Sega president Hayao Nakayama
3. The bizarre demands from McDonald’s for McDonald’s Treasure Land Adventure
4. The tragedy, and miracle, of Suganami’s magnum opus, Alien Soldier
5. The joys and woes of working with Sega as a publisher

Link : https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rasterscroll/legends-of-16-bit-game-development
Thread : http://segabits.com/forums/index.php?topic=4567

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Lord Monarch - 100% Complete English Translation Patch

Lord Monarch: Legendary Battle Royale (original title - Tokoton Sentou Densetsu) is a real-time strategy (RTS) game for Sega Mega Drive released in 1994.
It’s probably the best version of Lord Monarch - unlike SNES and original NEC PC-98 versions, it features an original Story Mode, where you play as Prince Al of Monarch Kingdom as he goes on an adventure where he meets a cast of cheerful characters, such as Princess Rubia or Spanky the fairy. 

Download the patch here : http://www.romhacking.net/translations/5762/

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Comix Zone: The Complete History

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaeOM6bHtmc

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Comix Zone (Original Soundtrack) by Howard Drossin Pre-Order
Estimated Shipping Date : Jan-Feb 2021

Composed by Howard Drossin, the soundtrack is up to its inkwell in crunchy, gritty, evocatively 90s Genesis power.
The soundtrack is complete with the addition of 1995's Sega Tunes release, featuring studio recordings from Roadkill.

• 20+ tracks from the Sega Genesis Game
• Special "D-side" with 6 studio recordings (Sega Tunes)
• Includes 6-page booklet featuring interviews with the game's creators
• Gatefold with level design boards
• Genesis / Mega Drive OBI strip
• 2XLP: Sketch Turner Ink'd Splatter & Night of the Mutants Orange
• Officially licensed ©SEGA

Link : https://blackscreenrecords.com/products/comix-zone-original-soundtrack-by-howard-drossin

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Lost “Sega VR” game unearthed,
made playable on modern VR headsets

Thanks to VGHF, we can finally see how the Sega Genesis would have handled VR.
The ambitious device, slated to launch on 1993 at a mere $199, was quietly canceled, and former Sega President Tom Kalinske eventually confirmed why: researchers found the device made a huge percentage of testers sick with headaches and dizziness.

Article : https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2020/11/lost-sega-vr-game-unearthed-made-playable-on-modern-vr-headsets/

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Trivia : Pulseman was originally named Spark.
His design is also different, can be seen on the left in this pic.



Pic from : https://twitter.com/heikahp/status/1329899935517474819?s=19

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Unreleased Sega VR Headset Emulated On HTC Vive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gxewa9C4Yc

Nuclear Rush is ready to be played in most emulators or on real hardware, but you’ll have to use the emulator provided for a real Sega VR experience.
The emulator is also stuffed full of options that it’s managed to pick up from some of my other projects, so take a look through the configuration file if you’re feeling adventurous. 

Source Code and Download : https://gamehistory.org/segavr/

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SEGA Nomad prototype shown to public for the first time ever

Recently SEGA has been celebrating the companies 60th Anniversary and they posted the following video above, a class room type setting going through the history of SEGA hardware.
One of the pieces shown off for the first time? The SEGA Venus, which was a prototype that became the SEGA Nomad.

Article : http://segabits.com/blog/2020/11/30/sega-nomad-prototype-shown-to-public-for-the-first-time-ever/

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Interview with the amazing SEGA of America Genesis Team! Tom Kalinske, Diane Fornasier, and Al Nilsen talk about SEGA’s history,
what made Sonic stand out and how SEGA consoles were ahead of their time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTkok1NzG-A