SEGA Japan have revealed plans for a new Sonic the Hedgehog initiative that will run every month this year. The ‘Sonic 2020’ initiative promises new Sonic news on the 20th of every month throughout 2020 with today’s news being the reveal of the initiative alongside new key art, wallpapers, a Twitter header and profile icons. You can view and download them from this page on SEGA Japan’s Sonic Channel.
It looks like SEGA has big plans for the Sonic franchise this year, so keep an eye on the official Sonic 2020 page to see what new announcements come our way. If you’re a Sonic fan then this is definitely worth bookmarking!
One element of SEGA’s origins that doesn’t get too much attention is there pre-video arcade developments. SEGA used to have pedigree with the development of electro-mechanical arcade games and in this video we take a look back at a selection of these games and discuss how they could be archived for future generations:
Weekly Famitsu have revealed a new feature of the upcoming SEGA Ages port of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for Nintendo Switch. This port will also include the ‘Knuckles in Sonic 2’ functionality that would normally come from locking the game onto Sonic & Knuckles. This allows players to play the entire game as Knuckles the Echidna as opposed to Sonic or Tails.
The SEGA Ages port of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is still without a release date, but it will be coming to the Nintendo Switch as a downloadable title. The game will also add additional actions, a Super Sonic mode and online rankings. The SEGA Ages collection has been entirely developed by M2 for Nintendo Switch and often feature exclusive features.
A boxed release of Streets of Rage 4 is on the way, but publishing duties have been given to the people at Limited Run Games. As you can expect from the company’s name, Limited Run Games specialise in producing limited physical runs of games for collectors. They often produce a standard and a special edition of each of their releases, but there is currently no word on whether Streets of Rage 4 will get similar treatment.
Streets of Rage 4 is in development at Lizardcube and Guard Crush Games, with Dotemu publishing the digital release under license from SEGA. The game is coming to PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch at some point in 2020. There is currently no word on when pre-orders will go live at Limited Run Games, so it’s worth keeping an eye on their website for updates.
For the first time since its original 1992 arcade release, Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder is receiving a port. Arcade1Up are releasing a home version of the arcade game complete with 4 player cabinet. Also included in the package are ports of Shinobi, Altered Beast, Wrestle Wars and the original Golden Axe for good measure.
If you’re unfamiliar with Arcade1Up, they produce near full-size, licensed arcade cabinets for the home. They can be bought with extras like risers and stools to make them closer to their full-size counterparts. Due to the size of the units and their robust build quality, they often retail for around £300.
While there is currently no release date for the cabinet, the unit has been shown at the latest Computer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Once again those wonderful people at Hidden Palace have uncovered a truly fascinating piece of Mega Drive history and archived it for future generations. This time we have an unreleased port of Super Star Wars to the Mega Drive by SEGA Interactive, more famously known for Greendog. This prototype dates back to January 1993, and despite some mention in magazines from the time, this port has never been seen until now. Check it out in action below:
If you’d like to try this prototype yourself you can download it from the game’s entry at Hidden Palace. The ROM will work in an emulator or on actual hardware with use of a flash cart. A huge thanks to all involved for making this available to the public.
Another incredible find and release from Hidden Palace has been made available! This time we’ve been treated to the first and only ROM dump of an unreleased Akira game developed by Black Pearl Software. Originally developed for release in 1994, the game’s development was halted after a series of resignations in the team and a change in development priority with other Black Pearl titles.
You can watch the game in action via the embed below:
The ROM file for this Akira prototype is available to download from Hidden Palace and can be played in an emulator or on an actual Mega Drive through use of a flash cart.
The Japan-only puzzle game The Lost Golem is a bit of an obscure release, only seeing under 500 sales during its original launch. This has lead to it becoming quite the cult favourite among Dreamcast collectors. It’s not the most difficult thing to play without a knowledge of Japanese, but thanks to community efforts, the game has now received an English fan translation and its a welcome addition for anyone looking to understand the game a little better.
The English fan translation of The Lost Golem is available to download from Romhacking.net now. You will need a CDI file of the original game in order to apply the patch. This can then be run in emulation or on an actual Dreamcast if burned to disc and booted with Utopia.
The Lost Golem is a fairly simple title where you control a golem who is guiding a king throughout a castle. You must pick up and place walls in order to change his direction and guide him to the exit. You can see the game in action via this first look video by our friend pcwzrd13:
While hugely popular in Japan, the Sakura Wars franchise has rarely seen light in the West with 2005’s Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love being the only entry to receive a Western port in 2010. The Sakura Wars franchise is often a cross between a tactical mech-based RPG and a dating simulation, making it one of SEGA’s more off-beat and experimental titles.
Thankfully a group of dedicated fans have now completed an English fan translation of the original Sakura Wars game for SEGA Saturn, which you can download by clicking here. The patch and instructions on how to apply it are included in the download. This fan translation can only be played through emulation or a modified SEGA Saturn. Congratulations to CJ_iwakura, NoahSteam, Crouching_Mouse and MatatabiMitsu for their efforts and making Sakura Wars available to Western audiences for the first time.
The console versions of Two Point Hospital have been delayed to a 25th of February 2020. Previously announced for a late 2019 release, Two Point Hospital is a spiritual successor to Theme Hospital originally released for PC back in August 2018. Now the game is heading to Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch in February 2020:
These console ports will be available boxed and digitally and come packaged with 2 DLC expansions as standard. Two Point Hospital is the first development by the Two Point studio who feature ex-Bullfrog staff Mark Webley and Gary Carr among their staff.
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