SEGA Talk #136: SEGA World – International (1990s)

This episode we take another week off from games to talk about theme parks, specifically the short lived ‘SEGA World’ range of theme parks that went on from the UK to South Korea!

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Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!

SEGA appoints former Disney exec Justin Scarpone as new executive to lead global transmedia strategy

It looks like SEGA wants to increase their global presence, as they just recently announced former Walt Disney executive Justin Scarpone as the Executive Vice President, Head of Global Transmedia Group for SEGA effective April 1st, 2024. Justin is probably most well known for launching a little indie title known as Kingdom Hearts. Between the Sonic movies and the New Energy, New Era lineup of video game revivals, it looks like SEGA is serious about expanding their presence. Welcome to the team, Justin. Word of advice: don’t talk to Sonic fans on social media.

After the break, check out the full press release!

Red vs. Blue – Sonic X Angry Birds mobile event sees the two franchises cross paths in multiple games

It finally happened. Sonic and Angry Birds are teaming up for a mobile crossover event! Five mobile games – Sonic Forces, Angry Birds 2, Sonic Dash, Angry Birds Dream Blast, and Angry Birds Friends – will feature new events where Sonic and the Angry Birds characters cross paths. Characters from both franchises join forces in these events to defeat Dr. Eggman and the Pigs. The Sonic and Angry Birds Mobile Crossover Event is happening now from March 14 to March 21 on both iOS and Android platforms.

SEGA Announces Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop; Launches April 4th Exclusively On Apple Arcade!

Today, SEGA has announced that another entry to their iconic matching puzzle themed franchise, Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop, will be making its way exclusively to Apple Arcade. The mobile title will have the cherished classic gameplay on the go for new and veterans alike with tons of fun features including:

  • Single Player & Multiplayer Modes (Endless, Lesson, Online)
  • 24 Playable Characters
  • All-new Voice casted Story
  • Optional Rules (Puyo Puyo 2 or Puyo Puyo Fever)
  • Additional Rules & Characters in future updates.

Puyo Puyo Puzzle Pop will be available exclusively for Apple Arcade on April 4th.

 

Celebrating the SEGA Dreamcast Legacy: Join the Newgrounds Dreamcast Collab!


Artwork by @inksaji on Twitter

Are you an artist or animator who grew up with the SEGA Dreamcast and its games, such as Sonic Adventure, Shenmue, and Power Stone? Look no further! A group of SEGA Dreamcast fans, led by shleptboi, is gathering to create the ultimate collab on Newgrounds to celebrate the legacy of the console and its video games. They’re seeking tons of talent for the project, whether you’re an artist, animator, musician, voice actor, etc.

Currently, the project has over 200 artists/animators contributing and continues to grow. You can join in on the collaboration as well. Be sure to read the guidelines for the project and check the spreadsheet to see how you can contribute. The deadline for the Newgrounds Dreamcast Collab is June 2nd, so don’t miss out on sharing your love and favorite memories of the Sega Dreamcast! We’re excited to see how the project turns out!

SEGA Talk #135: Unreleased Sonic Movies – Trilogy Entertainment Group (1994-1995)

On this special SEGA Talk podcast we will be looking at newly found information on a very early script pitched by Trilogy Entertainment Group for SEGA and MGM, plus we look at the famous re-write that has also made its way to the wild. Get your popcorn ready!

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Support us on Patreon! Get early access, have your memories read on the show, select the games we talk about!

SEGAbits Presents Arcade Adventure 2: Arcade meetup at Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, IL on April 27, 2024

It’s the sequel you’ve been waiting for: SEGAbits Presents Arcade Adventure 2! Meet up with fellow SEGA fans at Galloping Ghost Arcade in Brookfield, Illinois on April 27th, 2024 to play hundreds of arcade games in the world’s largest arcade!

Let us know you will be attending by clicking “Yes” on this form
(this is not a ticket or official commitment, it is simply a gauge for us to know how many will be attending)

This event requires no advance ticketing or advance access, simply show up to the arcade and pay them $25 for all day play. The arcade is open from 11am to 2pm the following day, and you are free to come and go as you please – just hang on to that receipt. The meetup will take place between 1pm and 6pm and will feature impromptu tournaments, arcade and world record attempts and the chance to meet and hang out with fellow SEGA fans.

Want to grab something to drink (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) and eat before the hang? We are planning a pre-game meetup from 12pm to 1pm at Imperial Oak Brewing, which is across the street at 9526 Ogden Ave. The venue is all ages (until 10pm) and allows customers to order food delivery from local restaurants. This is a great way to meetup before the meetup and answers the question many had during our first hang: “Where can we eat?”.

For those unaware, Galloping Ghost Arcade is HUGE. Want to play The House of the Dead 1 through 4? How about Monkey Ball with that ridiculous banana joystick? Or maybe you’ve always wanted to play SegaSonic the Hedgehog starring Sonic, Ray and Mighty? They have all those, plus nearly every super scaler game, Sonic the FightersVirtua FighterFantasy ZoneGhost Squad, L.A. MachinegunsGunblade NYShinobiAltered Beast, The Revenge of Death AdderAll-Stars Racingand many, many, many more! Heck I’m just naming off a handful of the SEGA titles. There are close to 1,000 games!

Hope to see you there!

Artwork credit: Pseudochel

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist physical soundtrack available at Limited Run Games

If you’re a fan of the music from the Genesis/Mega-Drive classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Hyperstone Heist (1992), then you’re gonna want this. The complete soundtrack will be up for pre-order from Limited Run Games starting tomorrow, with options for cassette tapes, CDs, and a single LP vinyl record available for the prices in the above graphic in USD. The vinyl is also available in an optional Green Ooze Edition, with a green record, limited to only 1,000 copies, so act fast if you want that in particular. The pre-order period runs throughout the entirety of March 2024.

This comes as part of Limited Run Games’s series of soundtracks for all the 8-bit and 16-bit TMNT games, of which they opened pre-orders for a new one every month starting last year. The only one remaining after this, which is expected to up for pre-order sometime in April 2024, will be for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Tournament Fighters, and will include the music for the Genesis, NES, and SNES versions of that game, so be ready for that.

Take a look past the break for pre-order links to all three soundtracks. Just watch your step so you don’t fall in a creepy cave.

A new Genesis/Mega-Drive action game, Rocket Panda, hits Kickstarter; passes its base goal

Another brand-new Genesis/Mega-Drive game has launched on Kickstarter, with the goal of raising funds to finance its development. Rocket Panda, a game developed by Space Pants Games and Mega Cat Studios, is now crowdfunding on Kickstarter and has 18 days left in its campaign. It has also just passed its $15,000 USD goal, so it seems that this is all but locked in, although there is still a stretch goal of $25,000 USD to add an as-of-now unspecified mini-game.

The game puts you in control of the titular Rocket Panda, who must navigate different mazes while avoiding traps and bizarre enemies in order to find the exit. Along the way, you’ll encounter and rescue little badgers to accompany you to the exit, similar to Flicky, Gain Ground, or Sega’s Sonic 3D Blast, except that the badgers also serve as shields to protect you from attacks. As you’d expect, you’ll want to safely guide as many of these badgers to the exit as possible to earn a good score, so fly carefully either way. A demo is also available on the Kickstarter page for you to try right away.

But would you find this to be a game worth supporting with some cash? You can read on past the break and decide for yourself.

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Demon Girls homebrew game for Genesis/Mega-Drive demo now available

It’s Genesis/Mega-Drive homebrew time again. Coming to us from developer and artist JuiceLizard, Demon Girls is still in active development for the wonderful 16-bit console, and now a demo is currently available for all to try from his itch.io page. The demo consists of the entire first level of the game and is absolutely free, but if you’re feeling particularly generous, you can also leave JuiceLizard a gracious tip as you download the ROM file. Like any Genesis ROM file, it can be played in your favorite Genesis emulation software, on original hardware with a Mega Everdrive flash cartridge, or on the MiSTer FPGA console.

You’ll find download links beyond the break.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance announced from Atlus, available June 21st, 2024

Good ol’ Atlus with their expanded SMT/Persona re-releases. Seriously though, props for the clever logo design here.

If you liked Atlus’s recent hit JRPG Shin Megami Tensei V, then you’re gonna love Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance. Just announced within the same Nintendo Partner Showcase Direct from February 21st, 2024, which also revealed the new demo for Unicorn Overlord, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance was revealed as an all-new definitive version of the original and highly lauded Shin Megami Tensei V (2021). This all new version of SMT V will include extra locations, demons, and an all new additional story to experience. From a technical side, the game also includes an improved battle, exploration, and demon fusion system, new accessibility features, and all the previously available DLC from SMT V as standard content within the base game.

Journey past the break for links to the game’s official website.

Unicorn Overlord demo now available to download

If you’ve been waiting with baited breath to try the brand new strategy RPG from Vanillaware and Atlus, Unicorn Overlord, you now have your chance with an official demo being available on all consoles’ digital storefronts right now. News of this was revealed in Nintendo’s Partner Showcase Direct livestream from February 21st, 2024 via the above video clip, but the demo has also launched on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox at the same time. Give it a shot right away and see what you’re in for.

Take a look beyond the break for links to each demo.

Long lost 1994 Sonic the Hedgehog movie treatment from Trilogy Entertainment Group uncovered and archived

In 1994, Trilogy Entertainment Group, who were behind such films as Tank Girl and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, partnered with MGM and SEGA to develop a movie that would evoke the same sense of entertainment found in films like Batman and Jurassic Park. The first of these attempts to be publicly known was actually the second attempt (we’ll get to the first attempt shortly).

Written by contracted screenwriter Richard Jeffries, “Sonic: Wonders of the World” was an eight page treatment written in 1995 that saw a Roger Rabbit-esque story of Sonic and Robotnik emerging from a child’s television as the video game world met the real world in a high stakes adventure. This treatment was discovered in March 2022 by Jacob Berkley who was researching for his book “The Complete History of Sonic SatAM”, and despite missing pages 6 and 7, the treatment gives a solid idea of how the film would play out.

However, little did Sonic fandom know that an earlier treatment existed. In fact, it has been something of a white whale for me for the past eight years and something I’ve kept a secret until recently. The first treatment sees a totally different take on the story of Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic is a teenage boy named Jimmy Hedgeman who fights a fingerless bioengineer named Dr. Paul Elleson. But before we get to the content of the treatment, let me tell you how the treatment was discovered…

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SEGA Announces Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble for Nintendo Switch

Today, SEGA has announced a brand-new Super Monkey Ball game during the Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase for the Nintendo Switch titled “Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble”. The new entry will have new characters joining AiAi and gang on a brand-new journey to seek out 7 mysterious artifacts that are said to be the key to locating The Legendary Banana in 200 all-new stages.

The game will also have tons of features including local 4-player co-op in an all-new Adventure mode, 16 players online battles where players can compete online across multiple game modes, customize your character with over 300 stylish items to choose from, and a brand-new gameplay mechanic called Spin Dash that allows players to sprint past rivals or create new shortcuts to victory.

Pre-Orders are now available for Nintendo Switch for both Physical and Digital Editions on the game’s official website. Hit the jump to check out screenshots of the new game.