In a rather surprising turn of events, SEGA have committed to bringing the 3DS compilation title SEGA 3D Reprint Archives 2 to the West under the new name of SEGA 3D Classics Collection.
The collection bundles together the previously released M2 versions of 3D Sonic The Hedgehog, 3D Galaxy Force II, 3D Thunderblade, 3D Altered Beast, 3D Fantasy Zone II but with 2 exclusive ports of 3D Power Drift and 3D Puyo Puyo 2. Also included are two 3D Master System titles; Maze Walker and Fantasy Zone II.
Also confirmed are new SEGA 3DS themes. While no specifics are currently available outside a “coming soon” release date, we can assume that the Dreamcast console theme could well be one of them as SEGA have previously teased the release of that theme.
SEGA 3D Classics Collection launches on the 26th of April in America, exclusively for 3DS. There is currently no word on a European release.
Existing entries in the index now have a much tidier look that puts the artwork front and center and any additional images are now linked via image thumbnails at the bottom. Just makes the entries a little easier to navigate.
The big update comes with 5 new entries to the index. These come in the form of the recent Data Discs vinyl releases of Streets of Rage, Shenmue, Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master and Super Hang-On. Each release has its own separate entry with artwork and details about the release we thought were striking.
The final addition comes in the form of a Pulseman remix LP that was recently given to us by a good friend. This is quite a peculiar release as it was distributed in the UK despite the game never making it out of Japan.
One of the more obscure sights in the arcades of the early nineties was a Sonic-themed popcorn dispenser called SEGASonic Popcorn Shop. While the machine obviously dispenses popcorn, it also featured a short mini-game to entertain the young’uns before the popcorn left the machine. The machine also features dipswitches to allow the ROM to run in different languages. I have definitely seen a machine in the UK when I was very young so I can confirm it was distributed into other markets.
The ROM of the machine is now available to play in the MAME emulator and you can see footage of the attract screen and the mini-game in the video below. Check out that rather dainty Robotnik!
1991 Japan-exclusive Sonic arcade game Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car has finally been dumped and can now be emulated in MAME. This also means that high quality footage of the game is now available to watch below. Check it out:
Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car is more like those children’s sit-in “rides” you often see in shopping centres and it never made its way out of Japan despite the existence of an English version. It is widely rumoured that the English version was used in markets where tourism was more popular. Sonic is voiced by Takeshi Kusao who would also voice Sonic in another arcade exclusive Sonic game, the infamous SegaSonic the Hedgehog.
A new article on Kotaku has revealed some interesting information about a 1989 SEGA arcade racing game called SEGA Super Circuit.
The 8 player racing game was located in the Tokyo Roof Complex in Yokohama and was controlled via altered Out Run cabinets that are hooked up to remote control cars with cameras attached to them. You can watch it in action below:
Not much information about its existence or what happened to it is available online so this is a very cool little oddity that deserves further exposure.
The Heart of Gaming, an arcade that operates out of North Acton, London will be home to a working version of SegaSonic the Hedgehog Arcade very soon.
The team who run the arcade have managed to acquire a board for the game and are working on a cabinet to house it. The board is a strange one in that it includes a “suicide” battery which is installed to regualate repairs and distribution as the game was only ever distributed properly in Japanese markets.
A few cabinets made their way West with one being available in the Trocadero in Picadilly Circus and another in London’s flagship Hamleys store. This will be the first time the machine has been playable on the correct hardware in a London arcade for close to 20 years.
SegaSonic the Hedgehog Arcade is a 3 player, trackball, action game released in 1993. More updates on this machine as we learn more about the game’s availability at The Heart of Gaming.
Takenobu Mitsuyoshi is the voice of many of your favourite SEGA themes but if he’s remembered for one in particular it has to be Let’s Go Away from Daytona USA. He also strikes me as a man who absolutely adores his work and that certainly seems like the case if you watch him perform this live rendition of Let’s Go Away in the studio. Press play, crank the volume and let Mitsuyoshi-san take you away:
Another retro review! Today we’re tackling the Mega Drive port of perennial AM2 arcade classic After Burner II. Can the Mega Drive handle a faithful port of a game made for the slightly more powerful SEGA X Board?
Alien Storm is an often ignored entry in SEGA’s beat-em-up history for reasons that aren’t particularly clear. Did the humour put off the die-hard SEGA fanbase? Were SEGA fans simply not interested in anything that wasn’t Streets of Rage or Golden Axe? Who knows. Regardless, we think it’s a game you should check out and now we have a review explaining exactly why we think it’s worth your time.
A fascinating new interview with M2 employees Yosuke Okunari and Naoki Horii about 3D After Burner II has gone live on SEGA’s official blog. The new interview details the difficulties in porting the game to 3DS and the increased game difficulty that was brought about by the addition of stereoscopic 3D. It’s a fascinating little read that will be continued in a second part which will go live tomorrow.
The first part of SEGA’s interview with Yosuke Okunari and Naoki Horii about 3D After Burner II can be read by clicking this link.
3D After Burner II is released on the 3DS eShop this Thursday the 15th of January 2015. It is the first release in the second season of SEGA 3DS classics and it will be priced at £4.49.
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