Never heard of Sonic Kart 3DX? That’s probably because it was released on Sonic Cafe, SEGA’s mobile phone game service in Japan, during 2005. To be more specific, users of NTT DoCoMo’s i-appli phones were able to pay around $3 USD per month for access to the entire library of games, which in addition to Sonic Kart 3DX, included such titles as Sonic Golf, Sonic Billiards, Sonic Bowling and even Sonic Tennis. Read more for some rarely seen gameplay footage.
Remember someone showing a working prototype of Konami’s unreleased Castlevania Resurrection game for the SEGA Dreamcast earlier this month? If so, you’ll be glad to know that it can now be downloaded for your own person enjoyment. This game is set in 1666 directly before Simon Belmont’s adventure in the original Castlevania and focuses on Sonia Belmont, along with a new character, Victor Belmont, an 1800s vampire hunter who had abandoned his lineage. Read more for a video playthrough and the download link.
Remember Sonic Adventure from 1998 on the SEGA Dreamcast? If so, this fan-made game will bring back some memories. Officially called “Sonic Adventure: Dreams Edition”, it was created by two gamers and also draws inspiration from the Boost system used in Sonic Unleashed, along with some of the character assets, including Sonic himself. The game starts off in an open-world hub that is large enough to let you run at full-speed. Read more for a video and additional information.
Konami abruptly canceled Castlevania: Resurrection for the SEGA Dreamcast in March 2000, and if released, it would have been the seventeenth title of the series as well as third title to enter the 3D realm. The storyline, set in 1666, followed Sonia Belmont and a new character, Victor Belmont, an 1800s vampire hunter who had abandoned his lineage. It starts directly before Simon Belmont’s adventure in the original Castlevania. Read more to see a prototype build shown to executives behind closed doors at trade shows.
SEGA’s R360 (Rotate 360) is a motion-based arcade cabinet first released in Japan in 1990. As the name implies, this machine boasts the ability to spin 360 degrees in any direction on two metal axis, allowing the player to freely move as the cabinet mimics the in-game action, including the ability to turn completely upside down. To keep you safe, there’s a safety bar and four-point safety harness, while an emergency stop button can be found inside / outside the cabinet and on the attendant tower. Unfortunately, it only supported two games: G-LOC: Air Battle and Wing War. Read more to see one that was found dumped in a field.
Sonic the Hedgehog, an iconic platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis, was first released in North America on June 23, 1991 and in PAL regions / Japan the following month. It starred none other than the an human-like hedgehog named Sonic in a quest to defeat the Dr. Robotnik, a villainous scientist who imprisoned animals in robots and stolen the powerful Chaos Emeralds. Players had to collect rings as a form of health using a simple control scheme that involved jumping and attacking controlled by a single button. Read more to see a prototype build that was recently uncovered by Hidden Palace.
Sure, the SEGA Dreamcast was not a commercial success during its 1999 – 2001 run, but many are still diehard fans of the game console. One such person stumbled upon a Dreamcast devkit and on it was a tech demo of The Simpsons: Bug Squad game developed for Fox Interactive by Red Lemon Studio around twenty years ago. Since this was only a proof of concept, music and sound effects were not added, but you do get to see a beautiful cel shaded rendition of The Simpsons’ home. Read more for the tech demo and additional information.
Set for release during Q4 2020 and priced at $120 USD, the SEGA Astro City Mini arcade machine is loaded with 36 classic games, including at least one – Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder – that never saw a home console release. Unlike other mini arcade machines, this one has actual microswitches, so you’ll hear the clicky arcade sounds as you play. In the back, you’ll find an HDMI-out, two USB-A ports, a Micro USB port, and a headphone jack. Read more for a video of a homemade version, additional pictures and information.
The SEGA Genesis Mini is touted as the best out of all the miniature consoles, and it can be picked up for $49.99 shipped, this week only, originally $79.99. Featuring an ARM-based SOC ZUIKI Z7213 processor, 512MB of flash memory, and two full-sized replica controllers that connect through USB. Product page. Read more for a hands-on video review and additional information.
Sure, the Game Gear Micro may be the latest product from SEGA, but way back in 2007, the company released the Grand Pianist. It’s still the world’s smallest functional grand piano, and yes, it has self-playing capabilities. Measuring just 4mm wide, each one of the 88 keys work just like on a real piano, and there’s already 100 built-in songs (expandable with an SD card). Read more for two videos and additional information.