On the Mega Drive, Sega began offering downloadable games via its MegaNet service. Robot Battler was among the titles released, but it offered little satisfaction compared to some of the other titles. Today, what novelty it has is gone, and the actual game is perhaps better left as a footnote in the company’s history.
Author: Ken Horowitz
Interview: Stuart Middleton (Programmer)
Stuart Middleton has been programming and working in the gaming industry for decades, as he’s had a hand in many classic Sega games, like Alien 3 and Joe & Mac for the Genesis. Sega-16 chatted with him recently about his experiences working on several of Sega’s hardware, including the Master System and Game Gear.
Kung Fu Kid
Sega jumped into the martial arts action game with a title that was eerily reminiscent of Irem classics like Vigilante. Short, nice to look at, and simple to play, Kung Fu Kid doesn’t offer much in gameplay, but it somehow manages to be entertaining. If you can get past the feeling of lost potential, there’s a decent little action game here.
Behind the Design: The Revenge of Shinobi
Virtually every Genesis owner owns or has at least played The Revenge of Shinobi. Hailed as a 16-bit classic, it was one of the early titles that showed off what the console was capable of, and it cemented the Shinobi series as a major Sega franchise. Sega-16 takes a comprehensive look at how it was made, with insight from several members of the development team.
Sega Legends: Ayrton Senna
Ayrton Senna was a racing icon throughout much of the world, even within the video game industry. He was signed by Sega of Japan to endorse its second Super Monaco GP game, but he left more than just his name on the game’s development. He played an integral part in its creation, showing the full potential of what a licensed game could be.