SEGA have confirmed that long time artist, director and producer Rieko Kodama has passed away. Kodama passed much earlier in the year, back in May 2022.
News of Kodama’s passing came to light when Retro Gamer writer Nick Thorpe spotted a tribute to her in the credits for the Mega Drive Mini 2. This was then confirmed by SEGA producer Yosuke Okunari.
Rieko Kodama had been working at SEGA since 1984 and has produced art for many classic games that include Alex Kidd in Miracle World, Quartet, Phantasy Star, Altered Beast, Shadow Dancer and the first 2 Sonic the Hedgehog games. Kodama personally directed Phantasy Star IV and Magic Knight Rayearth for the SEGA Saturn, while producing a number of titles including Skies of Arcadia and the largely Japan exclusive 7th Dragon games.
SEGADriven would like to extend our condolences to Rieko Kodama’s family, friends and colleagues. She was 58 years old.
It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything regarding the Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX remake by Merge Games, so it’s extremely exciting to hear that it’s finally got a release date of June 24th 2021. You can check out the latest trailer for the game below:
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX releases on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Nintendo Switch on June 24th 2021. The game features a new art style, new stages, new modes and “alternative” boss fights as well as the option to switch between the new art style and the original look of the Master System game.
Physical copies of the game are being sold via Signature Edition and special edition versions with an art book, pin badges, a CD soundtrack and more goodies are also being sold. Click here to browse the selection at Signature Edition.
The final set of games to be announced for the Astro City Mini have now been revealed, via Famitsu Live. They are as follows:
Arabian Fight
Ninja Princess
Stack Columns
Sonic Boom
Scramble Spirits
Flicky
Puyo Puyo Tsu
Quartet 2
Thunder Force AC
Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars
Rad Mobile
My Hero
Space Harrier
An Astro City Arcade Stick was also announced alongside the final batch of games, which will be released for for 12,800 JPY (£90)… which is practically the price of the Astro City Mini itself. This joins the huge amount of other accessories announced for it, such as the Game Centre Style Kit. The other games on the unit are (after the jump): (more…)
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.
A brand new Mega Drive & Mark III edition of Picross S for the Nintendo Switch has been revealed by the game’s developer Jupiter in a recent BitSummit video. This new version of the game features puzzles based on characters from various retro SEGA properties, including Sonic the Hedgehog, Alex Kidd, Phantasy Star and more.
The game will contain 4 modes: Picross, Mega Picross, Colour Picross and Clip Picross. The game is due to release worldwide this Autumn 2020 as a digital eShop title. You can watch the reveal trailer below:
Developed by Merge Games and Jankenteam with publishing duties also being helmed by Merge Games under license from SEGA, Alex Kidd in Miracle World is getting the remake treatment. Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX has been revealed for PC, Switch, Xbox and PlayStation with a release date set for the first quarter of 2021. Because neither model of Xbox or PlayStation are specified, this could mean the title is also cross-generational as the PS5 and Xbox Series X are releasing soon.
This new version of the Master System classic features a new art style, new stages, new modes and “alternative” boss fights. It also features the option to switch between the new art style and the look of the original Master System version, similar to the Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap remake by Lizardcube. Check out the reveal trailer below:
Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX has already been listed on Steam so if you want to wishlist it and you’re a PC user then click here.
UPDATE 14/02/19 – It’s now been confirmed that the Time Trial challenges from the 360 and PS3 port of Alex Kidd in Miracle World are indeed in this port. The article has been adjusted accordingly.
SEGA has revealed through its Japanese Twitter account that Puyo Puyo is no longer set to be the next SEGA AGES title – instead the Master System classic Alex Kidd in Miracle World will be the next game coming to the Nintendo Switch lineup.
The game will come with a hefty slew of new features to boot. Now before each stage starts, a newly drawn piece of art provides a glimpse of the area ahead, not too dissimilar to the likes of Kirby’s Adventure on the NES. If that wasn’t enough, the game will now have an arranged FM soundtrack alongside its original tunes. This also includes a previously unused track finding its way into the game. In addition, there’s changes to the continue system and a rewind function to facilitate new players, a standard and expected feature of M2’s ports. Time trials for certain stages, first seen in the SEGA Vintage Collection port of the game, will also be in this port.
Unfortunately the game doesn’t have a release date yet, nor does the seemingly delayed Puyo Puyo. We’ll update if one is revealed down the road.
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.
There’s also merchandise based on consoles so if a Mega Drive and Dreamcast range of clothing is up your street then the SEGA UK shop has you covered. This is probably the most extensive range of SEGA merchandise available outside of SEGA’s US online store, so if you’re based in the UK and have been jealous of the US SEGA shop, you finally have an alternative.
Head on over to the UK SEGA Shop now and browse their many collections. There’s bound to be something that’ll take your fancy.
Have you ever wondered about the founding of SEGA and their early successes? Join Ronald McFartstrumpet as we delve into the archives and discover The History of SEGA!
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