SEGA have revived 5 of their classic franchises for new games. In a reveal video at The Game Awards 2023, the publisher has announced that new entries in the Jet Set Radio, Shinobi, Golden Axe, Crazy Taxi and Streets of Rage franchises are currently in development and showcased some brief gameplay of each title.
The new Jet Set Radio carries forward the cel-shaded graphical style of its previous 2 entries and appears to add new traversal capabilities.
Shinobi stays in the 2nd dimension for a fast-paced game that looks like it plays similarly to Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master. However, it is now sporting a hand-drawn art style that isn’t too far removed from Streets of Rage 4.
Golden Axe is once again going for a 3D action game style similar to its last entry Golden Axe: Beast Rider, but appears to have more playable characters and a return to a lot of the franchise’s key iconography.
Crazy Taxi is probably the game that has decided on the most realistic presentation, but it’s still a colourful continuation of its open-world driving hijinks.
And finally we have a new Streets of Rage game that has interestingly ditched its 2D belt-scrolling gameplay for a full 3D interpretation. It’s actually not a million miles off the presentation of the leaked Streets of Rage game that was being pitched by Ruffian Games back in 2012.
You can watch the full reveal video for these games via the embed below:
There are currently no details on when these games will release, for what systems or even what their final titles will be. At the time of writing SEGA have only revealed that the titles are in development alongside a promise that even more games from dormant SEGA franchises are also on the way.
Our hardware section has been updated with 2 new console features and a stack of high quality photographs. The hardware section now has a new section at the bottom of the page that features Aftermarket/Mini Consoles, and with it comes 2 new console features on the Astro City Mini and the Game Gear Micro respectively. Click the links below to be taken to each console feature as well as the accompanying image galleries:
The next SEGA Forever retrospective video is here, and this time it’s Golden Axe’s moment in the spotlight.
The video offers an extensive look at the history of the series, from the original beat-em ups to the one-on-one fighting game, and even the RPG spinoffs; the latter, I didn’t realise actually existed! Even as someone who’s not the biggest fan of the original Golden Axe, the video has made me want to check out some of the side-ventures I’d missed.
Fair warning: at around the 1:30 mark there’s an extremely harsh strobe pattern that would’ve worked fine on the Game Gear but is a bit eye-melting on a 1080p screen. If you’ve got epilepsy you might want to sit this one out.
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.
According to lead animator Tim Dawson, the upcoming release of Golden Axed is a complete surprise to him and the team responsible for it.
Originally coded in 2012, the project was created off the back of the team’s Castle of Illusion prototype which successfully kept the company afloat. Development then proceeded under the concept that it would be a “darker, bloodier Golden Axe” and the team went ahead with combining those ideas with the concept of the original game.
What followed was 2 weeks of 14 hour days and several disputes with management, who wanted the game to be something else. Tim recounts, “much less luckily we also had the lead designer who thought he was designing it, and sometimes Sanatana Mishra would have to physically block him from reaching my workstation or he’d start explaining insights he’d received playing the mobile port on the train on the way to work.”
The most harrowing story Tim recounts is showing the latest build to management:
“but the biggest gut punch came a week and a half in – combat was working, it was all on track! I was called for a meeting in the big room, so I put the latest build on the network and went to see what was up. All of management was sitting around the big table
I showed the game. grave faces
There was a pause
“where’s the wow factor” someone asked
The lead designer once again complained it wasn’t a God of War-like 3D brawler like he wanted
Someone said maybe it’d have been better to have made a prerendered video where the barbarian fought a monster.”
The full thread of Tim’s experiences making the prototype can be read on Twitter. It’s not a particularly pleasant read but it highlights some important truths about game development that cannot be ignored and it’s unfair of SEGA to promote this title as a “janky”, “buggy artifact of its time” [UPDATE: These terms have fortunately now been removed from games Steam’s description]
Starting today (October 14th 2020) and lasting for 60 days, SEGA are celebrating their 60th anniversary with a huge swathe of discounts, competitions and interviews.Go ahead and check out what https://www.headphonage.com/ has for you to become a professional gamer.
An official SEGA 60th website has launched and it details what the various SEGA teams are sharing each week, and the most interesting exclusive that is coming from these celebrations is a selection of brand new PC mini games.
4 have been teased already and they are as follows (Steam pages for each game are linked as well):
– Streets of Kamurocho (a Yakuza-themed Streets of Rage-style beat em up, releasing 17/10/2020)
– Armor of Heroes (inspired by Company of Heroes, releasing 15/10/2020)
– Endless Zone (inspired by Endless Space, releasing 16/10/2020)
– Golden Axed (a prototype of an unreleased Golden Axe game, releasing 18/10/2020)
The mini games will launch one-a-day starting October 15th and will be available via Steam for a limited time only. You can also register on the SEGA 60th website to redeem a free copy of NiGHTS into dreams… Click here to be taken to the registration page.
You can also watch the reveal trailer for the SEGA 60th celebrations below:
Previewed back in January at CES, Arcade1Up’s Golden Axe arcade cabinet is now available to pre-order in the US and Canada. This cabinet features Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder, Wrestle War, Shinobi, Altered Beast and the original Golden Axe and will set you back $399.
It’s a pretty feature-rich package with a 17″ display, 4 player joystick setup, light-up marquee, volume control and a riser. You can check out a trailer for the cabinet below:
Toy Fair 2020 is currently underway in New York and a selection of figures based on Streets of Rage 4 and Golden Axe have shown up. These figures have been produced by Storm Collectibles and while the Axel figure is currently without a release date (likely because the game is still without a release date), the Golden Axe figures are due for release soon. See below for the full list of release dates and prices:
– Ax Battler (releasing March 20th for $130)
– Skeleton 2 Pack (releasing April 20th for $60)
– Axel (release date and pricing to be confirmed)
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.
UPDATE: The Western titles have now been confirmed.
The next batch of games available on the Mega Drive Mini have been announced, and are as follows:
JAPAN:
Ghouls n Ghosts
Street Fighter II: Special Champion Edition
Mega Man: The Wily Wars
Golden Axe
Revenge of Shinobi
Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium
The Story of Thor (Beyond Oasis)
Puzzle & Action: Tant-R
Party Quiz Mega Q
Yu Yu Hakusho Makyō Tōitsusen
AMERICA/EUROPE:
Mega Man®: The Wily Wars
Street Fighter II’®: Special Champion Edition
Sonic Spinball
Phantasy Star IV
Beyond Oasis
Ghouls ‘N Ghosts®
Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle
Golden Axe
Vectorman
Wonder Boy in Monster World
Something cool to note: the last 4 games on this list supported 4 players via a Multitap on the original Mega Drive. They actually retain this functionality on the Mini – you can use a USB Hub to connect more controllers!
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.
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