With so many companies releasing all types of joystick and controller-shaped “plug-‘n-play” collections, it was only a matter of time before Sega followed suit. Originally released in Japan for ¥4,179 (about $38), this Genesis collection is now available in the States and sports six titles, some of which have been released way too many times, and one that has been deserving of re-release for far too long. Sonic The Hedgehog, Golden Axe, Altered Beast, Flicky, Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, and Kid Chameleon are all ready to play here.
Author: Ken Horowitz
Interview: Michael Thomasson (Good Deal Games)
A small company based in Hamburg, New York, Good Deal Games is in the business of completing and bringing unreleased prototypes to market. It has released numerous titles for such long-discontinued consoles like the Colecovision, CD-I, and Vectrex, as well as the Sega CD. We chatted with Michael Thomasson, the company’s founder about its work on Sega’s add-on.
Forgotten Franchises: Streets of Rage
It would seem like a no-brainer that Streets of Rage would be brought back for another installment, doesn’t it? Not to the company that released it. Time and time again, hope for another sequel has been crushed by the corporate boot. Even the game’s creators have tried to resurrect it and were unsuccessful. The company just doesn’t seem to want to be bothered with the series any more. So where did Streets of Rage go wrong? How did it fall from a first rate series to forgotten franchise? There’s some history to that, so read on and prepared to get pissed.
Sega CD’s Finest Hour: The Lunar Games
Working Designs led the RPG charge by releasing four awesome games. Popful Mail was an incredible side scrolling action/RPG that needs to be re-released and Vay, though frustrating with its random battles, was a neat little romp with one of the first character deaths on console (Phantasy Star II beat them to it). Their greatest achievements, without a doubt, have to be the two Lunar games.
Many Faces of Genesis: JVC X’Eye
In 1994 JVC released a console that combined a Genesis and a Sega CD into a single unit. While it wasn’t successful due to overpricing, the X’Eye (Wondermega in Japan) is now being snapped up by collectors at every opportunity. Read all about it in the first installment of our series The Many Faces of Genesis.