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This Saturday, Sega-16 celebrates its fifth anniversary. After half a decade, we’re not only still here, we’re better than ever. Though the past twelve months haven’t been as eventful as some of the previous years, we’ve still made some great strides, and the site has remained consistent in both the quality and the quantity of its updates. I’ve shared my thoughts on the subject in this year’s retrospective, so please do check it out.
Digital Pictures is a company that still creates controversy, long after it closed its doors. Those who defend it look to games that are both funny and engaging, and those who hate it simply pick up a copy of Power Factory Featuring C+C Music Factory. Usually, the argument ends there. However, Sega-16, in the interest of good journalism (or unflinching masochism), has put the game through its paces for a full review, in order to see if all the vitriol against it is justified. The result? There isn’t enough hate towards this game.
Taito had a a string of releases for the Genesis, and it often seemed like every arcade game the company put out eventually found its way onto Sega’s console. Unfortunately, some ports were better than others, and a few, like Thunder Fox, took a major hit during the transition. Truth be told, there’s actually very little thunder in this version. In fact, compared to the coin-op original, the Genesis port sounds more like a rumbly tummy than anything else. Sigh… such were the things gamers had to live with at the time.
Epyx scored a series of hits in the late ’80s with its Games series, and the California edition was ported to every console ever conceived by man. Ok, maybe not that many, but it sure does seem like everyone had a chance to play California Games, no matter what console or computer they had. The Genesis got a port of its own, courtesy of Ecco wonder group Novotrade, but what could have been the best version of all turned out to be a major letdown. After spending time with this one and seeing all the lost potential, we think someone at Novotrade deserved to be smacked in the head with a solid steel footbag.
For years there have been persistent rumors that Michael Jackson composed the music to Sonic The Hedgehog 3 but was fired when his child molestation scandal became public news. Over time, many people have gathered what they believe to be conclusive evidence that the King of Pop was indeed working for Sega, and they even suggest that he used the music that was rejected in compositions for his later albums.
Now, after a year of research and communications with almost a half dozen people from Sega of America management as well as those who were directly involved with the game, Sega-16 has compiled all the available evidence from both sides – those who think MJ was hired and those who don’t – and we’ve come up with what seems to be the most probable scenario.