In the new year, SEGA are running a 60th anniversary initiative called the SEGA Test. This will be an online course that will contain 60 questions and take roughly 60 minutes to complete. The test will take place 3 times a day on January 23rd and 24th 2021.
In preparation for the test, Hiroyuki Miyazaki, the Chief Contents Officer at Sega of America, is hosting a series of online SEGA history videos and the first is now available to watch below. In this video, Professor Miyazaki discuss SEGA’s console history and the code names used for its various hardware.
A real surprise occurs at 11:36 has Professor Miyazaki shows the Venus prototype of the Genesis Nomad for the very first time. It’s a fascinating look at the console’s development and it clearly uses the buttons of a stock 6 button Mega Drive controller and a directional pad from a Game Gear. Check out the full video below and brush up on your SEGA knowledge so you’re ready for the SEGA Test!
Raster Scroll have opened a Kickstarter for a new book called Legends of 16-Bit Game Development. The focus of the book is aimed at Treasure and their 16 bit Mega Drive titles that include Dynamite Headdy, Alien Soldier, Gunstar Heroes and more.
The book is authored by John Harrison, who has extensively researched the company and is aiming to offer readers insight into the business-side of the developer, the actual game development process, key members of the development team and their backgrounds, the reception of the featured games after their release, and potential future investment avenues within the gaming industry, including analysis from other reputable sources like Invest Diva reviews.
As the gaming industry continues to boom, its impact is not only felt in the virtual world but also on the physical landscape. Real estate developers and businesses are increasingly recognizing the potential of incorporating gaming and e-sports facilities into their properties. From dedicated gaming zones in malls to e-sports arenas in major cities, the demand for such spaces has surged. The allure of large-scale gaming events, published rankings, and high-stake tournaments has attracted significant investments from both local and international entities, further solidifying gaming’s position as a mainstream entertainment phenomenon. As the Legends of 16-Bit Game Development sheds light on the success and intricacies of iconic game titles, it also highlights how this burgeoning industry has become an influential player in the world of business and real estate.
The global online gaming and e-sports industry has reached a tipping point in popularity. With more than one billion PC gamers worldwide, the industry has evolved from a niche community connecting and playing at local LAN parties, to filling out stadiums via competitive platforms such as Intel Extreme Masters and ESL One, which are viewed by millions. In India, the industry has come full circle with PC gaming taking centre stage yet again. With the world’s largest youth population, India is one of the fastest growing gaming markets globally and going on top with network systems, and wifi for business compared is necessary to improve any business and more a gaming company as connection is essential. A recent KPMG report predicts online gaming revenue will touch ₹11,900 crore by 2023. It also states that the number of game developing firms in the country have increased ten-fold from 25 in 2010 to 250 in 2018.
If you’re interested in funding such a project then head on over to the official Legends of 16-Bit Game Development Kickstarter. Several tiers are available with the lowest starting at $30. Each book aims to include 250 pages of full colour content.
You can read an excerpt from the book by clicking here.
Previously revealed for the deluxe version of Darius Cozmic Revelation, a new Extra Version of the previously Mega Drive Mini port of Darius will release on a Mega Drive cartridge thanks to the good people at Columbus Circle.
Columbus Circle have been responsible for a string of new Mega Drive releases that include 16 Bit Rhythm Land, Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer, Ultracore and Mad Stalker: Full Metal Forth.
A fresh selection of promotional material and t-shirts have been added to the Promotional Material and Clothing sections of the website. See below for the full list of additions:
– Castle Fine Art Presents 25th Anniversary Sonic the Hedgehog Card added to Promotional Material
– Sonic Boom Event Flyer added to Promotional Material
– Sonic Lost World Sticker Sheet added to Promotional Material
– Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Door Hanger added to Promotional Material
– Sonic the Hedgehog 25th Anniversary Postcard added to Promotional Material
– Sonic the Hedgehog ‘Available Now’ Flyer added to Promotional Material
– Crush 40 T-Shirt added to Clothing
– Crush 40 Rules T-Shirt added to Clothing
– Fighting Vipers T-Shirt added to Clothing
– New images of Mega Drive T-Shirt added to Clothing
– Panzer Dragoon II Zwei T-Shirt added to Clothing
– Sonic Boom T-Shirt added to Clothing
– Sonic the Hedgehog Joypolis T-Shirt added to Clothing
– Sonic the Hedgehog “Slow Sucks” Gamestation T-Shirt added to Clothing
– Sonic the Hedgehog Primark T-Shirt added to Clothing
Announced alongside 2 brand new compilations of Turrican franchise ports, a new Director’s Cut version of Mega Turrican is being produced for the Mega Drive by Strictly Limited Games.
There are no exact details as to what this Director’s Cut version of Mega Turrican will entail, but if it’s going to be anything like the Director’s Cut version of Super Turrican which launched alongside the Analogue Super NT, then it should contain a new level, new graphics and new music.
You can pre-order the Mega Drive version of Mega Turrican: Director’s Cut in either a black checkerboard case or red Genesis-style case from Strictly Limited Games for €49.99. The cartridge includes the original Mega Turrican, a new Mega Turrican Score Attack game and Mega Turrican: Director’s Cut. The cartridge is aiming to ship around April/May 2021. You can also get Mega Turrican, Mega Turrican Score Attack and Mega Turrican: Director’s Cut as a part of the Turrican Anthology Vol. 1 & 2 compilations for Switch or PS4.
5 new peripherals have been added to the website’s Hardware section. These are all Mega Drive controllers and you can see a full list of the additions below:
The first images of an unreleased Mega Drive Sonic spin-off called Treasure Tails have appeared online. These come directly from Craig Stitt who many may know as an artist on Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Sonic Spinball. Stitt himself pitched the game back in February 1993. The game was meant to be a forced-perspective platform/puzzle/adventure game featuring Tails as the main playable character. It supposedly never made it to a playable state and the images seen in this article come from a VHS tape that Stitt have put together in 1995.
In addition to this discovery, the first concept images of Boomer the Turtle have also appeared. This was a character Stitt designed for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 as Sonic’s original sidekick before Tails was even conceived. The character was ultimately scrapped.
Also released is footage of another unreleased title that Craig Stitt pitched called Astropede. The game features a centipede protagonist that runs at high speeds through a stage that uses graphics from the then-unreleased Hidden Palace stage from Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Stitt had hopes that the character could exist as a part of Sonic’s Universe. Check out the footage from SEGAbits below:
A fresh selection of updates have now gone live in the hardware and merchandise sections. See below for a full list of additions and direct links to each entry:
4 new music entries have now been added to the SEGA Music Index in our Merchandise section. See below for the full list of additions and direct links to each new entry:
Each entry comes with a short information paragraph, a track list and several high quality photos. Why not check out the rest of the SEGA Music Index and learn about something new?
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