Summer’s here, and the games are better than ever for a quarter that is usually mired in… well, nothing really. Most companies reserve their big guns for the ever-so-important fourth quarter, and the summer months are usually bleak and bare on the new games front. Thankfully, we’ve got a ton of great Genesis carts to fall back on!
Given how much history there is behind the Genesis and how much news is still being cranked out at a steady rate, this summer looks to be far different from those of the past.
My Genesis Games Just Got Fruity
Early last month, several sources like QJ.net announced that hackers had found a way to get emulators running on the recently released Apple TV device (a set top box that lets you stream media from your MAC/Windows PC to your TV), something Fortune magazine has already called “a dud.” Current warranty-voiding enhancements include emulators for the Genesis, NES, SNES, N64, and the GBA. It’s unclear whether or not Apple’s new service will be successful, but it’s interesting to note that technology so new (it was released in March) has already been hacked. It just goes to show that nothing is mod-free these days!
That being said, I don’t really see the big deal in using Apple TV to emulate my Genesis games. I can play them on my TV you say? Well, my modded Xbox has been able to do that for years. Going through the tedious process of hacking – and possibly damaging – this device for something other systems do more easily and with better support just doesn’t seem to be worth all the effort. Still, the whole deal is still in its infancy, and it’s bound to get easier to do as time goes on. Some people will obviously do anything to play Gunstar Heroes without having to track down a cart and console I guess!
At Least There’s Still ONE Good Sonic Game
Given the utter tripe that was Sonic The Hedgehog and the decent-but-lacking Sonic & the Secret Rings, it’s nice to see the one really good Sonic title released last year get a sequel. Sonic Rush Adventure for the Nintendo DS is coming this fall, and it looks to captitalize on all the great 2D action that the first brought us. As Sonic, players will race through different action stages looking for materials to help Tails build different ships. This in turn will allow the famous hedgehog to reach new areas. The journey between stages will allow for ring collecting and ship-to-ship battles against the evil pirate Captain Whisker. There are five ships to use, including a submarine and a hovercraft, and each stage culminates in an exciting 3D (?) battle against huge bosses.
I like the whole idea of ship battles, as long as they don’t distract from the 2D action. The original Sonic Rush was a great throwback to the terrific 16-bit games of yore, but I’m still a bit apprehensive about the dead area between the two screens. It wasn’t too much of an issue before, but seeing it still worries me sometimes. Sega doesn’t tend to let us down with original (see how I said “original?” Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis on the GBA doesn’t count) Sonic games, so my hopes are that the trend will continue here. Now if Sega could just somehow get the Rush team to work on making a decent 3D title…
The Proper Way to Play with Your Wii
A few weeks ago, Mark Feldman posted a cool new hack that allows you to use your Genesis pad with the Wii’s Virtual Console. Taking a stock pad, they’ve made it wireless, which means that you can now go and play all the great Genny titles available on Nintendo’s widely popular new system. NES and SNES controllers have already been modded for this, so it was only a matter of time before the Genesis got in on the action. Even cooler is that J. Daniel Hearn, another tinkerer, has already firmware developed for it!
Even though the Wii Classic Controller is great, we’d love to get our hands on one of these bad boys to give it a try. Someone out there with mean soldering skills needs to make us one! We’d love you for it!
A Chance to Walk with Legends
…legends of the plug-‘n-play kind, of course. Those great little Arcade Legends TV devices that have been part of the mini TV games rage of the last few years have finally come down to an irresitable price. Amazon is selling the second volume for a paltry $10 and at that price, you know you have to have one. The line up includes Ecco the Dolphin, The Ooze, Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle, Gain Ground, Columns, and the wonderful Sonic 2. You’ll still need to pick up four AA batteries separately, but that’s still not a bad deal at all. The chance to play these great games just about anywhere there’s a TV makes them quite attractive.
Perhaps the only real downside is that there’s no way for a second player to join in on the fun. That’s pretty odd, given the choice of games included. Gain Ground and Columns are leagues better when you’re playing with a friend, so having to go it solo here is kind of lame. Still, having two great games from the Sega Technical Institute in one set is something you don’t see often, so grab ’em while they’re in stock!
It seems like there’s always something going on in regards to the Genesis, and big or small, count on us to talk about it. Check back with us next month for more Genesis-related news!
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