Gaming historian Steve Lin of the Video Game History Foundation has managed to win the actual basketball used for the NBA Jam cover art in an online auction. Lin’s intention is to get the item displayed in a museum.
The basketball itself is actually a resin model and it adorned the cover art for the game and various promotional material. NBA Jam made its way onto several SEGA systems including the Mega Drive, Mega-CD and Game Gear back in 1994.
The Western release date for the SEGA Ages port of Phantasy Star has finally been set. Western Switch owners will get to play the game on December 13th 2018. US pricing has been set at $7.99.
The SEGA Ages port of Phantasy Star includes some new features like a dungeon map display, a bestiary, an equipment list and support for both original audio and the FM Sound Unit audio. Development, as always, has been lead by M2.
A fresh batch of screenshots showcasing the M2 SEGA Ages port of Out Run for Nintendo Switch have surfaced. Check out the gallery below to see how the port is shaping up:
This port appears to be heavily based on the previous 3DS port (also by M2). It appears we have new songs with one track in particular called Radiation -Nostalgia Ver.- (perhaps a chiptune version of Radiation from Out Run 2006?), we’ve got a CRT filter that’s made to emulate the look of the original arcade cabinet and an expanded widescreen (but bordered) resolution. The car sprites are also based on the later Shenmue II port of the game which alters the car graphics to make them more indistinct from actual cars like the Ferrari Testarossa. This is likely to avoid a licensing issue.
The Switch port of SEGA Ages is still due to release in Japan sometime this year for 925 yen. There is currently no word on a release date for the rest of the world.
UPDATE 22/11/18 Eurogamer have now confirmed that Out Run will launch worldwide early next year.
SEGA have released a brand new mobile title today called SEGA Heroes. The game is a Bejeweled-like puzzler with RPG elements and an abundance of characters from various classic SEGA franchises. Put together a team of up to 4 characters and battle it out to level up and gain power ups. You can play as characters from Sonic the Hedgehog, Golden Axe, Shinobi and Streets of Rage and all the characters have been drawn in a cartoony, big-head style that keeps things looking consistent. Check out the launch trailer below:
SEGA Heroes is out now on the Google Play store and iOS app store. The game is a free download but it supports in-app purchases.
It’s time for another new song from the Team Sonic Racing soundtrack! Jun Senoue is back and this time he’s collaborating with none other than Hyper Potions for ‘Market Street’; a remix of the Rooftop Run theme from Sonic Unleashed. Check it out below:
Almost a year to the day since the game released, the soundtracks to 2017’s Sonic Forces have finally been made available on Spotify, alongside many of SEGA’s other soundtracks.
This includes the original soundtrack, A Hero Will Rise, as well as the Vocal Track Collection, On the Edge.
It’s a welcome addition to the lineup – as divisive as Forces was, most people can agree that it at least had some solid music in there.
We’ve included links to the albums on Spotify below.
When Tracker isn’t playing SEGA games, he’s talking about SEGA games. Or drawing about SEGA games. Or all of the above. You can also catch him over on Twitter.
If you’re not subscribed to our YouTube channel (and if not then please correct that), then you may have missed our series on pinball games for the Mega Drive. As of 05/11/2018, the series is now complete as we uploaded the final episode on Codemasters’s Psycho Pinball. Check it out below:
The full series can be watched in order by going directly to this playlist. It’s a journey of wildly varying quality!
In an interview with Game Watch, M2’s Naoki Horii has revealed a lot of details about the Switch line of SEGA Ages ports.
Some key highlights include plans to port Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to the system and include elements originally removed from the game due to console limitations. Also revealed are plans to port Dreamcast games to the Switch and Horii confirmed there’s 3 key titles that the team are currently working on, but didn’t mention which ones.
The current batch of SEGA Ages ports will be a part of what M2 are calling, “season one”. They are planning 15 games for this season and the previously announced Thunder Force AC port will include additional stages and more colours than its original release. The team are also using fan feedback to help enhance their port of Gain Ground.
There has also been confirmation that the Model 1 emulation they are using for Virtua Racing allows them to improve the game. There is even talk of potentially porting the Model 1 Star Wars Arcade game if they can get authorisation to use the Star Wars license.
M2 have also revealed that they are planning to do a 2nd season of SEGA Ages ports once they’ve completed work on the first 15 games.
The SEGA Ages line currently consists of ports of Sonic the Hedgehog, Thunder Force IV and Phantasy Star which is currently Japan exclusive. A port is due for a Western release but there is currently no release dates. Other titles confirmed for a SEGA Ages release include Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Gain Ground, Space Harrier, Out Run, Columns II, Thunder Force AC, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Virtua Racing. 4 more unannounced games will round out season one.
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