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.
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.
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.
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).
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of SEGA (June 3rd), the company unveiled the Game Gear Micro. The original console was released in April 1991 throughout North America as well as Europe, and competed with Nintendo’s Game Boy, Atari Lynx, and NEC’s TurboExpress at the time. Since much of its hardware was sourced from the Master System, it can play that console’s games by the use of an adapter. Read more for a video and additional information.
The SEGA Genesis Mini console is touted as the best miniature console released thus far, and it’s being offered for just $49.99 shipped (June 4th ship date – order now to lock in price), today only, originally $79.99. It ships with 40 of the console’s most popular games, two wired controllers, a power cable, USB adapter, and an HDMI cable Product page. Read more for a hands-on video review and additional information.
Retro-Bit is a company that specializes in releasing modern versions of classic game controllers, and their latest project is one based on the SEGA Dreamcast. Set for launch late this year, it will be offered in both wired and wireless models. The layout is similar to the original, but boasts an improved analog stick, a new D-pad, a six-button layout for fighting games, and re-positioned triggers. Read more for additional information.