When the Genesis launched, it lacked something its rival, the NES, enjoyed in spades: third party software. Due to Nintendo’s strict licensing agreements, companies that published on the NES were forbidden to release games on competing hardware, and this left Sega’s new machine with a big problem. Thankfully, the U.S. court system put an end to this practice, and the support slowly began to pick up. During the dry period, however, a few small companies jumped at the chance to pick up the slack left by bigger publishers like Konami and Capcom. Among them was Kaneko, which was a staunch supporter of the little black box. Sega-16 spent some Q&A time with former Kaneko VP of marketing, Ellen Fuog, and she shared her insights on what it was like to be at a small publisher at the dawn of the 16-bit era.
Interviews
Interview: Mary Margaret Park (Author)
In the last installment of MEGA Bites, we mentioned that the green light was given for a novelization of the Data East laser disc game (and Sega-16 favorite) Road Avenger. As major fans of the game, we weren’t content with mere news blurbs, and we managed to pry author Mary Margaret Park away from her writing long enough to get the lowdown on this interesting take on the property. Read our full interview for all the details, and no, the book won’t come with a copy of the theme song.
Interview: Matt Harmon (Designer & Programmer)
It seems odd that a company would develop a title almost to completion, only to shelve it at the eleventh hour. Yet such behavior is common in the game industry for a multitude of reasons, and many games are never released though being virtually completed. It Came from the Desert is an example of corporate decisions leaving development out in the cold. Sega-16 contributor Brandon Cobb recently spoke to Matt Harmon, the man behind the game, about its creation and subsequent termination.
Interview: Spencer Nilsen (Composer)
He’s one of the most notable composers of the 16-bit era, and for some, one of the most controversial. Spencer Nilsen has been writing music for all forms of media for almost twenty years, and he has a particular place in the history of the Genesis and Sega CD. Sega-16 was fortunate enough to chat with him for a spell, so read the interview and see what he thinks of the whole Sonic CD soundtrack controversy!
Interview: Hideki Ikeda (SOA Programmer)
Programming video games is a big challenge. Just ask Hideki Ikeda, a man who’s worked on everything from the TurboGrafx-16 and Game Gear to the mighty Genesis itself. He was also involved with the Sega CD, and he recently shared his experiences with us in a brief interview.