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!
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. Want more news on Star Wars? Check out sites like The Direct for the latest.
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.
For the final week of Hidden Palace’s Sonic month, the prototype archivists have released something very special. The team have dumped a November 1993 prototype of Sonic the Hedgehog 3 which features different music and sprites which are based on those from Sonic 2.
This prototype comes from a time when Sonic 3 was supposed to contain all the stages from Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, and while Sonic 3’s stages are mostly complete, the Sonic & Knuckles stages are often incomplete, showcasing an early insight into that game’s development. Screenshots from this prototype made their way into the Sonic 3: Exclusive Story of the Year! preview supplement which we also have archived in our merchandise section.
The real discovery comes with the game’s soundtrack. Sonic fans will know that the PC version of Sonic 3 features different tunes for Ice Cap, Launch Base and Carnival Night Zone. Well it appears that these tunes actually pre-date the versions that were eventually included in the final release of Sonic 3, as they make an appearance in this prototype. This is the first time anyone has heard these tunes powered by the Mega Drive’s YM2612 sound chip and it makes for some truly fascinating listening.
UPDATE
Overnight an additional Sonic 2 prototype has been made available by the good people at Hidden Palace. This prototype dates from August 1992 and can be downloaded by clicking here.
ORIGINAL STORY Hidden Palace‘s Sonic Month continues with a fresh selection of unreleased Sonic prototypes. This time we have 3 different releases of Sonic Chaos for Master System and Game Gear and a separate Sonic the Hedgehog 2 release for Mega Drive.
The Sonic Chaos releases date from May, June and July 1993 with the May release being an early Game Gear prototype that features different character sprites from the final build. Download links for each of these releases are listed below:
For fans of either game, these prototypes reveal some fascinating insight into the games’ development and are well worth a look if you have any interest in either game.
The earliest known prototype has been located and dumped by the good people at Hidden Palace and you can now download and play it yourself through emulation. This prototype dates back to December 4th 1992 and features the ‘CD Sonic’ title screen alongside an earlier build of Palmtree Panic which is known here as Salad Plain Zone. If you’d like to see the prototype in action then SEGADriven’s very own Tracker_TD has recorded a playthrough on his YouTube channel:
Alongside this release, Hidden Palace have also released a dump of a trade show-only multimedia disc that features some new artwork and animations of Sonic and Dr. Robotnik. Images of this artwork was previously referenced in magazine news articles that discussed Sonic 2 being ported to Mega-CD, which ultimately never came to pass:
Someone has bought the Dreamcast Zip Drive! The auction ended on the 18th of December at 18:07 CET.
ORIGINAL POST
The Dreamcast Zip Drive was an unreleased add-on that was due to release in Autumn 2000. Co-developed by SEGA and Iomega, the device would give users access to 100mb zip disks to allow for greater storage space for browsing the internet and downloading additional game content like maps for Quake III Arena. The add-on connects to the Dreamcast via its expansion port and power input, requiring you to then power your Dreamcast using the zip drive’s power input. The zip drive also features a USB slot on the front which would have given users access to more peripherals that never came to pass.
It’s an interesting little device that never made it to store shelves, but now you can own one of the prototypes. There is currently “one of less than five worldwide” on sale on eBay. The zip drive is located in Berlin and will set you back 4225 euros, around £3798 in British sterling. It’s certainly not a bargain, but it’s definitely one of the more interesting SEGA curios to pop up for quite some time. And let’s not forget, it does come with a zip disk!
An unreleased prototype version of Castlevania: The New Generation has been leaked online. Also known as Castlevania Bloodlines, this prototype features some noticeable differences from the final Mega Drive game:
– Black title screen with longer intro
– Title screen says “1P PRESS START” suggesting the possibility of a 2P mode
– Different mermen
– Different wolf boss
– Music restarts every time you enter a room
– Layout changes
– The inside part of the second half of stage 1 has no background
– The outside part has a light blue background and the falling bone bridge portion is more difficult
– The knight boss’ sprite is different
– The stage 2 water is different
The ROM can be downloaded from the Castlevania Dungeon forums and originates with a user called @TheCount#5993 in the CVDungeon discord.
Jon Burton from Traveller’s Tales and his fascinating GameHut YouTube channel is at it again with a fascinating look at the earliest known prototype of Sonic R. The track featured in this prototype wouldn’t make it into the final game and there’s a lot of artwork and assets on show that have never been seen before. You can see the prototype in action by clicking the embed below:
After the amazing discovery of the SEGA Pluto prototype console on Wednesday, the owner of the other console has come forward and created a video of it in action. He has also revealed that he found it at a flea market for a dollar and will likely put it on eBay in the next few days:
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