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Sega and Don Quijote announced the release of three new men’s t-shirts based on the Sega Genesis (or Mega Drive in Japan and Europe,) Sega Saturn, and Dreamcast classic console systems. Each T-shirt will cost 2,199 yen (or about $14.61) and will be available in sizes L and XL.

The t-shirts will be limited edition only available on Don Quijote stores throughout Japan, and will release on March 29, 2025 sequentially from 9am JST. From what has been shown in the preview images, it seems like all T-shirts will only be available in black. They feature the logo of the console as a small icon on the left side of the chest, with a bigger version of the same graphic appearing on the back. Additionally, a sticker of the corresponding console logo illustration will be included with each purchase.

Fans of classic Sega console systems can find a variety of nostalgic merchandise goods in Japan, such as a set of wireless earphones designed to look like the Sega Genesis and Dreamcast consoles and controllers, alongside other goods released on December 2023. The Sega Saturn ed the aforementioned collection on December 2024.

The Don Quijote Sega Genesis (Mega Drive,) Sega Saturn, and Dreamcast t-shirts cost 2,199 yen (~$14.61) each. They will begin appearing in Japan from March 29, 2025.

The post Sega Genesis, Saturn, and Dreamcast Shirts Head to Don Quijote appeared first on Siliconera.

Onkyo announced the release of new wireless earphones with motifs inspired by the Sega Genesis and Dreamcast consoles. T-shirts and acrylic stands with the same Sega Genesis and Dreamcast motifs be available as well. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

Sales for the new Sega Genesis and Dreamcast earphones and merchandise starts on December 22, 2023. The items will be available from the Onkyo Direct online store, and the Onkyo Direct Akihabara store in Tokyo, Japan.

The wireless earphones are the model -TWS01A, and they cost 15,500 yen (or about $109) each. In addition, Onkyo will also sell Sega Genesis and Dreamcast wireless chargers for 4,400 yen (~$31) each. The Sega Genesis and Dreamcast acrylic stands cost 1,200 yen (~$8,) and the T-shirts cost 4,000 yen (~$28).

The headphone case is designed after the consoles themselves, and the Sega Genesis earbuds feature the 16-bit and console logo. Meanwhile, the Dreamcast model earbuds are designed to look like the console’s controller. The earphones feature the startup and system sounds of each console.

You can take a better look at the new Sega Genesis and Dreamcast earphones and merchandise here:

Onkyo previously announced NieR Automata collaboration earphones on March 2022, and most recently VR collaboration goggles with motifs from the NieR Automata Ver1.1a anime adaptation.

The Onkyo Sega Genesis and Dreamcast -TWS01A earphones cost 15,500 yen (~$109) and will be available from the Onkyo Direct online store and Akihabara store from December 22, 2023.

The post New Wireless Earphones Look Like a Sega Genesis and Dreamcast appeared first on Siliconera.

The 2023 Hallmark Ornament Dreambook appeared, and this year the gaming ornaments based on consoles and video game characters include more Super Mario and Pokemon stars, a new Sonic the Hedgehog, and a Dreamcast replica. Orders are not yet open for the new designs. However, the official website updated to show what people can expect from the different decorations.

The Hallmark Dreamcast ornament is a part of the same line that included a Genesis and SNES. It is $22.99 and will appear on October 14, 2023. In addition to lighting up, it also plays Sonic Adventure music. Sonic himself appears on the VMU on its controller.
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There are three new Super Mario gaming ornaments at Hallmark this year. People could get an $18.99 Cat Mario one on July 15, 2023. The miniature Toad ornament, which is $9.99, will debut that same day. The Mario Kart Luigi ornament will appear after both of them on October 14, 2023 and cost $18.99.
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The new Sonic ornament shows him about to perform a Spin Attack. It launches on October 14, 2023 for $18.99.
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Two Pokemon ornaments the collection this year. One is a mini Eevee. That costs $9.99 and will show up among the other July 15, 2023 releases. The Snorlax is a larger one. It will be $18.99 when it appears on November 10, 2023.
[gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="959441,959440" link="file"]

Finally, here are the other gaming ornaments in the 2023 Hallmark Ornament Dreambook.

• Animal Crossing Isabelle - $18.99 on October 14, 2023
• Fortnite Ffrosty Back Bling - $13.99 on October 14, 2023
• Fortnite Polar Peely - $18.99 on October 14, 2023
• Metroid Samus - $19.99 on July 15, 2023
• Minecraft Bee - $13.99 on October 14, 2023
• Minecraft Light-up Warden - $19.99 on October 14, 2023

[gallery size="full" ids="959445,959446,959447,959448,959449,959450" link="file"]

The post New Hallmark Gaming Ornaments Include a Dreamcast, Pokemon, Mario and Sonic appeared first on Siliconera.

Dreamcast-talk sreak posted that they unearthed a tech demo of a Simpsons game called The Simpsons: Bug Squad! The build is playable and was contained on a broken dev kit for the Sega Dreamcast.

The filenames contained on the kit’s hard drive are BlowUp, roach, Bugsquad, Quake2, Simpsons, ttb410, RoachWorld,  ttb5, and Source Code. Because of these filenames, a on the forums mentioned that the dev kit might have been owned by someone other than an “original DC developer.”

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww32Ypu2794&feature=emb_title[/embed]

Eventually a video of the playable demo was produced. Its title screen has a message that reads, “confidential and proprietary: copyright 2000 Red Lemon Studios LTD All Rights Reserved.” Red Lemon Studios was the developer behind Farscape: The Game and Braveheart, which, like Bug Squad! are video game adaptations of other properties. They were also working on a lightgun game called Take the Bullet. Take the Bullet was also included on this hard drive in the form of a beta.

The gameplay video for The Simpsons: Bug Squad! depicts a player-controlled bug navigating the Simpsons home. Meanwhile, Homer Simpson walks about aimlessly.

The thread went on as s worked together to uncover more mysteries about the game, many expressing excitement over the never-before-seen glimpse at the title. As of posting, the thread is on its twelfth page and s are still uncovering new information.

One of the people who worked on the game, Dr. Andy Campbell, has also spoken up about the dive into the dev kit. He claims that the tech demo was designed for a pitch to Fox, as he “knew Fox pretty well."

It is hard to know how many Dreamcast games never saw the light of day. Fortunately, there are some ways to experience the bygone era on modern platforms. You can also use modern controllers on the old console, if that's your thing.

The post Newly Uncovered Files on Dev Kit Includes Dreamcast Simpsons Game appeared first on Siliconera.

Sega's Dreamcast is one of the most successful unsuccessful consoles ever made, the end of the line for Sega as a console hardware force, but a platform full of classic games. But while the Dreamcast was the ideal platform for Sega software, there are a lot of mixed feelings about the controller. Retro-Bit, a company dedicated to making new controllers for classic consoles (among other products), is about to do something about that. Releasing late 2020, Retro-Bit has revealed a sneak peek at its alternative take on Sega's Dreamcast controller.

The cool thing about the Retro-Bit Dreamcast controller is that it seems to be retaining the original version's overall form. Complaints about the controller usually revolve around its performance, while many of the same fans had no issue with the aesthetic design. So what we have here is the same shape and look, but with changes and updates made to its functionality.

https://twitter.com/RetroBitGaming/status/1248989231902531587

Perhaps most notably, Retro-Bit is updating the dpad and analog stick. Those were the biggest barriers to comfortable control back in the day, and based on the blueprints, they simply look more modern. Additionally, the triggers are being repositioned, seemingly just enough to be more ergonomic.

Finally, the Retro-Bit Dreamcast controller will also have six face buttons lined up to be perfect for all the system's arcade-perfect fighting game ports. This change won't impact every game, but fighting game fans who aren't dead set on using fight sticks will likely be into this part.

There's no release date or price yet, but the Retro-Bit Dreamcast controller is currently planned to release in late 2020.

The post Retro-Bit Is Launching an Alternative Dreamcast Controller in Late 2020 appeared first on Siliconera.

Fan translator Cargodin and their team have released a full English fan translation patch for Sega’s Dreamcast platformer, Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream.

This particular title involves the story of Porch Arsia, who is dragged into another world by a spirit guide named Straynap. She’ll need to collect six petals in order to return home to Earth, and thus begins her adventure. The game was by the same staff as Terra Phantastica, and is also known for mostly having female Sega staff behind it. Yoko Kanno provided the music.

Check out more screenshots here:

You can find the fan translation here.

Napple Tale: Arsia in Daydream released on Sega Dreamcast in 2000.

The post Dreamcast Platformer Napple Tale Gets Full English Fan Translation appeared first on Siliconera.

In an interview with UK’s The Guardian, Power Stone producer Takashi Tezuka and designer Hideaki Itsuno talked about the arcade and Dreamcast title Power Stone, such as how it slowly moved away from being like Street Fighter, and his hope to create another one.

Here are the highlights:

On differentiating Power Stone from Street Fighter:

Takashi Tezuka, producer: “The game started as a Street Fighter-style side-view fighting game where you would push the stick twice in a direction to move into or out of the screen. It was only halfway through development that it changed to an overhead view. I how great it felt once we’d got the game to a place where it seemed completely different from Street Fighter.”

On cut modes thanks to the strict deadline:

Hideaki Itsuno, designer: “There was a Bomberman-esque mode where the only items on the stage were bombs, and you’d slide them around to hit each other. There was also a puzzle mode where you had to use boxes and other items to reach the power stone placed craftily on the stage. And a mode where you could play in first-person perspective! If only we’d had another fortnight, maybe we could have packed it all in …”

On a new game in the series:

Tezuka: “I still get messages from fans about the game. People tweet requests to me to make another Power Stone, which I’d love to do if I got the chance. It would be a particularly great fit for the Nintendo Switch.”

Power Stone released on the Sega Dreamcast.

The post Power Stone’s Developers Still Wants To Make Another Game In The Series appeared first on Siliconera.

Today is the 10th anniversary of the ing of ‘The King of Pop’ Michael Jackson, and a new interview with some developers who worked with him on games like Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker and Space Channel 5 has been published in memory of him. [Thanks, DenFamiNicoGamer!]

Here are the highlights:

Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker

• Roppyaku Tsurumi was the planner and director of Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker, after the role fell into his hands when the original person who suggested the idea (Yutaka Sugano, who directed Shinobi and Crackdown) was reassigned to Sega of America. The idea for the game originated from SoA discussing making a Japanese game with a worldwide IP.

• According to Tsurumi, both the arcade and Genesis versions of Moonwalker were developed in parallel, reaching production milestones around the same time. The two teams, with one in Sega in Japan and the other at SoA, shared information, but ended up making two different games in the final product. For the arcade version that Tsurumi headed, the team was full of mostly new staff for which Moonwalker was their first developed game. This was also Tsurumi’s first time heading a game project.

• Sega of America provided a general schedule of production progress deadlines, and in an unusual move, had already signed a contract with Michael Jackson. Usually, they’d progress to a certain point and get approval from management before g the deal.

• Michael Jackson loved video games, and Sega in particular, so he personally checked and greenlighted the concept and image board for the game. Tsurumi recounts reading many faxes from Jackson’s manager, which would all start with, “Mr. Jackson says…”, and providing direct from the pop star. included that apart from the ultimate final boss, the enemies should not die. This included dogs as well. Surprisingly, he didn’t make many changes to the game graphically.

• The voice clips were recorded by Jackson himself, and despite Tsurumi and the team requesting only around 40-50 voice clips, Jackson sent in an hour’s worth of exclamations, shocking the development team. Sadly, with the lack of interest in preservation common back then, the voice material has been lost. Tsurumi recalls that it was his mischievous idea to add Jackson’s voice at the highest volume when coins were inserted into the arcade machine, in order to startle the player.

• Michael Jackson also had input on concepts added to Moonwalker. For example, in the final scene, he turns into a spaceship, which originated from his suggestion of adding such a scene during the final stage. He also asked to change into a giant robot like in the movie, but as that would break the gameplay, Tsurumi’s team compromised by having Robot Michael grow large for a moment then shrink back down during gameplay.

• Tsurumi said that Michael kept an open and generous attitude, saying things like “That’s just how games are.” In one case, the team realized that a certain robot enemy that looked like a penis thrusting in and out had somehow made it through prior checks, halfway into finalizing the ROM. (Ironically, it was even nicknamed ‘penis robot’ among the team.) While scrambling to make some minor changes, the team were worried as to whether they should keep it in, as rating boards with guidelines didn’t exist yet. They asked Michael, and MJ ended up giving approval, saying that they shouldn’t leave it out.

• After Michael Jackson’s death, Tsurumi watched the documentary This Is It, and it made him realize that this was just how Jackson was, exactly just as the title said.

Space Channel 5

Michael Jackson also played a prominent cameo in Space Channel 5, and then-development team head Tetsuya Mizuguchi also talked about working together with Michael.

• After some Sega staff showed a demo video of gameplay to Michael Jackson, Michael immediately said he wanted to appear in it, and soon Mizuguchi got a call saying that ‘Michael wants to be in the game.’ Mizuguchi went, “Wait, which Michael?”

• That said, it was one month before the deadline, so Mizuguchi opted to have Michael Jackson play a bigger role in Part 2. As for Part 1, Mizuguchi asked if Michael would accept only appearing as one of the people being forced to dance by the Morolians, and Michael said, “Oh, okay!”.

• The first takes Michael Jackson sent over weren’t excited-sounding enough, and Mizuguchi had to send samples of the general tone of the voicework, and the second takes ended up being used in the game.

Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker was released in arcades and on Sega Genesis. Space Channel 5 released on Sega Dreamcast.

The post Moonwalker And Space Channel 5 Devs Working With Michael Jackson At Sega appeared first on Siliconera.

The Heisei era encapsulated a tumultuous time in Japan, both in real life and in the world of entertainment. In real life, Japan experienced a golden economic bubble that burst and led to a downturn that lasted nearly the rest of the era, a terrorist incident, two major earthquakes in 1995 and 2011, and more. In the world of video games, the Heisei era saw the shift from 2D games into 3D, and more specifically in Japan, the shift from home consoles to handhelds, and finally to mobile gaming.

So here’s Part 1 of an un-comprehensive list of the some of the major Japanese console and game releases that helped define a generation of people. It’s funny to see just how many characters and games came from this one period of change.

Note: Part 1 will cover the first 10 years of Heisei, lasting from 1989 to 1998. The dates listed are by Japanese release date.

Heisei 1 (1989)

Major Console Debut: Game Boy

Debut: April 21, 1989

Perhaps it's only fitting that the Heisei era, which saw a shift towards portable gaming in Japan, started with the Game Boy's launch. The Game Boy launched in Japan in April, with Alleyway, Super Mario Land, Baseball, and Yakuman as the launch titles. Later on June 14, Tetris would launch on the system, and other games to the lineup in 1989 included Castlevania: The Adventure from Konami and the first-ever SaGa series game, Makai Toushi Sa Ga (released as The Final Fantasy Legend overseas).

Other notable releases:

July 27 – Mother (FC)

November 7 – Madou Monogatari Episode II Carbuncle, the first Madou Monogatari game (MSX2)

Heisei 2 (1990)

Major Console Debuts: Super Famicom & Game Gear

Game Gear Debut: October 6, 1990

Sega’s answer to the Game Boy, the Game Gear would launch a year later with Columns, Super Monaco GP, and Pengo as its launch titles in Japan. The system had color and a backlit screen, but suffered from how energy-consuming it was as a result. Other titles in Heisei 2 included Wonder Boy and G-Loc Air Battle.

Super Famicom Debut: November 21, 1990

The long-awaited successor to the then-7-years-old Famicom. The system had two launch titles – Super Mario World, and F-Zero. Home to many classic titles, just in Heisei 2 alone it got ActRaiser, Pilotwings, Gradius III, Final Fight, and SD The Great Battle in Japan.

Other notable releases:

February 11 – Dragon Quest IV (FC)

April 21 – Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light (FC)

April 27 – Final Fantasy III (FC)

July 20 – Metal Gear II: Solid Snake (MSX2)

July 27 – Doctor Mario (FC/GB)

Heisei 3 (1991)

Notable releases:

March – Street Fighter II (Arcades)

April 20 – Super Robot Wars (GB)

April 26 – Langrisser (MD)

June 28 – Seiken Densetsu/ Final Fantasy Adventure (GB)

July 1 – NEOGEO home system releases

July 19 – Final Fantasy IV (SFC)

July 26 – Sonic the Hedgehog (Mega Drive)

November 21 – The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SFC)

December 20 – Fatal Fury (Arcades)

Heisei 4 (1992)

Notable releases:

January 28 – Romancing SaGa (SFC)

March 7 – Otogirisou (SFC)

March 20 – Shining Force (MD)

April 27 – Kirby’s Dreamland (GB)

July 14 – Mario Paint (SFC)

August – Virtua Racing (Arcades)

August 27 – Super Mario Kart (SFC)

November 30 – Shin Megami Tensei (SFC)

Heisei 5 (1993)

Notable releases:

February 21 – Star Fox (SFC)

March 12 – Ogre Battle (SFC)

March 23 – Kirby’s Adventure (FC)

April 3 – Breath of Fire (SFC)

June 6 – The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (GB)

July 12 – Prism, Co., now Nippon Ichi Software, established

August 8 – Secret of Mana (SFC)

September 9 – Torneko no Daibouken: Fushigi no Dungeon (SFC), the first Mystery Dungeon game

October 1 – Gust established

October 29 – Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PCE)

November – Ridge Racer (Arcades)

December – Virtua Fighter (Arcades)

December 17 – Mega Man X (SFC)

Heisei 6 (1994)

Major Console Debuts: Sega Saturn & PlayStation

Sega Saturn Debut: November 22, 1994

The then-latest Sega console, which became the home of many arcade ports, and later original titles. Sega Saturn launched with Virtua Fighter, Wan Chai Connection, Myst, Tama and Mahjong Goku Tenjiku.

PlayStation Debut: December 3, 1994

The third faction that came into existence after Nintendo and Sony’s deal fell through. Featuring a CD-ROM drive and the capabilities for increasingly-popular 3D graphics, PlayStation launched with Ridge Racer, Take the A-Train 4 Evolution, Crime Crackers and more.

Other notable releases:

January 21 – Super Mario Land 3: Wario Land (GB)

February 18 – The Legend of Xanadu (PCE)

March 19 – Super Metroid (SFC)

April 2 – Final Fantasy VI (SFC)

May 21 – Tokimeki Memorial (PCE)

August 25 – The King of Fighters ‘94 (Arcades)

August 27 – Mother 2 / Earthbound (SFC)

September 2 – Live A Live (SFC)

September 23 – Angelique (SFC)

November 25 – Banshee’s Last Cry (SFC)

November 26 – Super Donkey Kong (SFC)

December 16 – King’s Field (PS) was FromSoftware’s first game which established their reputation for punishingly hard games

December 23 – Umihara Kawase (SFC)

Heisei 7 (1995)

Notable releases:

February 24 – Front Mission (SFC)

March 10 – Panzer Dragoon (SS)

March 11 – Chrono Trigger (SFC) was voted the top game of the Heisei era by Famitsu readers.

June 30 – Arc the Lad (PS)

June 30 - Ace Combat (PS)

July 21 – Virtual Boy released

October 6 – Tactics Ogre (SFC)

December 9 – Dragon Quest VI (SFC)

December 15 – Tales of Phantasia (SFC)

December 15 – Genso Suikoden (PS)

Heisei 8 (1996)

Notable Console Debut: Nintendo 64

The next console by Nintendo after the Super Famicom, which had the wind in its sails taken by the PlayStation which released earlier with better hardware in some aspects. Its major contribution to gaming is the first analog stick on a controller. N64 launched with Super Mario 64, Pilotwings 64, and Saikyou Habu Shogi in its lineup.

Other notable releases:

February 27 – Pokémon Red/Green (GB)

March 21 – Kirby Super Star (SFC)

March 22 – Biohazard / Resident Evil (PS)

April 1 – Soul Edge (Arcades) was the first game in the eventual Soulcalibur series

May 14 – Fire Emblem: Geneology of the Holy War (SFC)

July 12 – Popolocrois Monogatari

July 21 – Game Boy Pocket release

July 26 – SD Gundam Generation

August 6 – Harvest Moon (SFC)

September 20 – Revelations: Persona (PS)

September 27 – Sakura Wars (SS)

November 26 – Dead or Alive (Arcades)

December 26 – YU-NO: A girl who chants love at the bound of this world. (PC-98)

Heisei 9 (1997)

Notable releases:

January 31 – Final Fantasy VII (PS) singlehandedly turns the PlayStation into a force to reckon with.

February 28 – Dynasty Warriors (PS)

March 20 – Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (PS)

April 27 – Star Fox 64 (N64)

July 10 – Armored Core (PS)

October 30 – Culdcept (SS)

November 13 – Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (SS)

December 10 – beatmania (Arcades)

December 11 – Klonoa: Door to phantomile (PS)

December 23 – Gran Turismo (PS)

Heisei 10 (1998)

Major Console Debut: Sega Dreamcast

Sega’s final home console before going full third-party. The console had basic internet connectivity, and featured graphics leaps and bounds above the Saturn. Dreamcast in Japan launched with Godzilla Generations, Virtua Fighter 3tb, Pen Pen Tricelon, and July. Within the same year, Sega would release their showcase of 3D graphics and gameplay with Sonic Adventure.

Other notable releases:

February 11 – Xenogears (PS)

May 14 – Guilty Gear (PS)

July 23 – Kagero: Deception II (PS)

August 1 – Pokémon Stadium (N64)

September 3 – Metal Gear Solid (PS)

September 25 – Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry’s Wonderland (GB)

October 28 – NEOGEO Pocket releases

November 21 – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

December 18 – Mario Party (N64)

The post A Look Back At The Heisei Era’s Console And Game Releases (Part 1) appeared first on Siliconera.

From now through April 2019, there’s an awesome ‘90s video game-themed exhibit going on at the Skip City Sai-no-Kuni Visual Plaza with an impressive collection of games going to the early ‘00s. [Thanks, 4Gamer.]

The exhibit, titled “Asobu! Game Ten Stage 3: Digital Game Millennium” (Play! Game Exhibit Stage 3: Digital Millennium) started the other day as the third installment of the video games history exhibit that allows visitors to check out and play a bunch of different games. The first one, Stage 1, focused on some of the earliest games such as Spacewar!, Computer Space, Pong, and more back in 2015. Stage 2 took place in 2016 with a big focus on arcade games and the Famicom.

Stage 3 is the final exhibit for now, and it’s going out with a bang of nostalgia with games focused on the 1990s to early 2000s.

The first part of the exhibit is a fighting games corner called “Civil War Era of Fighters.” It features famous titles such as Street Fighter II, Fatal Fury Special, Virtua Fighter 2, and countless others. This is also the era that saw the birth of the world’s biggest fighting games tournament, Evolution Championship Series (EVO).

This is a Model 1 circuit board for Virtua Fighter. While arcade games use PC as a base for its hardware, back in the day they used circuit board prints as shown in the above image.

They also have some posters for Fatal Fury Special as well as art documents on display. The MSV arcade machine has titles such as NAM-1975 and Magician Lord.

The next part is called the “Genre Subdivision Era of Digital Games” that featured games that defined the era of different genres, such as Puyo Puyo and RayForce for arcades, Tokimeki Memorial and Pokémon Red & Green for consoles.

Tokimeki Memorial was made by Konami as a console game with the goal of “simulating romance.” The fully-voiced scenes on the PC Engine CD-ROM² was a huge surprise for players at the time.

Here’s RayForce by Taito, known for its emphasis on flashy visuals and sounds.

This is Puyo Puyo, a puzzle game by Compile for arcades. It originally started out as a spinoff franchise to Madou Monogatari. It featured the “Manzai Demo” interactions between characters, which helped with their popularity at the time.

Here’s the original Pokémon Red & Green with the original Game Boy. The first-generation of Pokémon was re-released on the Nintendo 3DS in 2016.

This era of gaming saw a significant improvement in graphics as well as the birth of countless key games that would go on to see numerous sequels.

Now, you can’t talk about ‘90s video games without the original PlayStation. The next corner is called the “Reform from PlayStation,” where we saw games such as Ridge Racer, Metal Gear Solid, and other PlayStation titles that brought a strong sense of “next-generation” at the time.

Aded with the PlayStation corner is the “Enjoying digital Games Expanded with the 32-Bit War” corner. This area features a variety of titles that were made when we entered the 32-bit era.

Fighters Megamix for Sega Saturn, a fighting game developed by AM2 featuring the complete cast of Virtua Fighter 2 and Fighting Vipers, Janet from Virtua Cop 2, Hornet Car from Daytona USA, and more.

The interactive movie and adventure horror game D, developed by WARP for the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer by Panasonic.

Here’s Super Mario 64 along with the disk drive peripheral 64DD which released only in Japan back in December 1999.

Here’s the Virtual Boy console, Nintendo’s 32-bit table-top video game console that was marketed as the first console capable of displaying stereoscopic 3D graphics.

The Tamagotchi device took the world by storm in May 1997, but it first released in Japan back in November 1996.

And for you rare breed of ‘90s PC gamers, they didn’t forget about you guys—here’s the original Half-Life and Ultima Online.

Also in display for PC games included the early Touhou games, Highly Responsive to Prayers, Story of Eastern Wonderland, and Phantasmagoria of Dim.Dream among other rotated PC games.

The next section is the “Arcade Games Looking For A New Turning Point” that focused on high-end specs such as Taito’s Landing Gear and Battle Gear.

Another one was SoulCalibur, the 3D fighting game that mixed fighting and weapons.

Continuing with the arcade games tour, we have the next corner, “Rhythm Games That Move Your Body” featuring beatmania from Konami, Taiko no Tatsujin from Namco, and more.

Here’s the cabinet for beatmania The Final.

The pop’n music cabinet has pop'n music 18 Sengoku Retsuden.

They also had the machine for Taiko no Tatsujin 14. A Dance Dance Revolution machine was also available but not in display on that day.

Lastly, to end the exhibit we have the “Home Console Machines to Start the 21st Century” corner, which featured early 2000s hardware such as Sony’s PlayStation 2 and Nintendo’s GameCube.

This era focused more on realism with 3D graphics, and you can definitely see the leap in generation compared to the corner that had Virtua Fighter, which focused on realistic graphics just ten years prior. Not only were graphics a big point in this era, but so were the controllers, such as the PS2’s DualShock 2 and the GameCube controllers which still continue to show their influence in today’s controllers.

The introduction of simple AI with Seaman on the Dreamcast was also a big deal at the time. Many shared memories of how difficult it was to take care of the virtual fish, but they also ed the joys of having a save data where they could comfortably talk to Seaman.

The “Multi Video System” by SNK and the “System 12” by Namco.

The Sega ST-V (Sega Titan Video game system) arcade system board with Virtua Fighter Remix.

The Sega Naomi arcade machine, which was the successor to the Sega Model 3.

The Asobu! Game Ten Stage 3: Digital Game Millennium will be available until April 7, 2019. Tickets only cost 510 yen for adults and 250 yen for students.

The post Take A Tour Inside This Awesome ‘90s To Early-‘00s Video Games-Themed Exhibit In Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

When Dan’s family is kidnapped, the MMA champion takes to the streets to take down the gang responsible in sidescrolling arcade action game Shadow Gangs.

In similar style to Shinobi, Dan can use shurikens to down the ninjas and thugs who attack him, using melee attacks if someone gets a little too close. Dan also has the ability to change into an M16-toting ninja at the mid-point of each stage, which also lets him double jump and use a katana for more damage.

Dan will face a bizarre range of foes as he fights through stages across the world, beating up colorful ninjas, samurai, soldiers, Zeus, and a strangely-evil Freddie Mercury with his abilities.

Shadow Gangs is being designed for PC and Dreamcast. It is currently raising development funds on Kickstarter and votes on Steam Greenlight.

The post Ridiculous Action Game Shadow Gangs Shows Shades Of Shinobi appeared first on Siliconera.

Creating a Dreamcast rail shooter may be an odd thing to aspire to create in 2016, but that’s the dream that the developers at Retro Sumus are living out with Xenocider. With their Kickstarter underway and a new demo out to introduce players to Xara and her planet-destroying capabilities, we reached out to talk to them about making a game for the not-quite-dead console.

Xenocider is a rail shooter for Dreamcast. What got you interested in making something like that in 2016?

Abel, Chui, and I became friends while working or collaborating on Pier Solar. Abel specifically designed the 3D stage from the HD versions of the game, which had been created in Mode7 for the cartridge version. After that experience, he suggested created something with a similar perspective, and we have always loved both Space Harrier and Sin & Punishment, so we really felt like creating a game that drew inspiration from both. Then Xenocider came to be.

I had come up with the concept for Ameba, our detective adventure currently in development too, which is also a revisiting of an old genre like the Japanese visual novels. We began work on both projects, and Xenocider reached the playable demo status first, so here we are now, begging fans of rail shooters to help us bring the genre back from the dead.

What is the Dreamcast development scene like now? How would a developer begin to work on something like that these days?

Well, there a few active dev teams, which is something we're really happy about. The teams behind Elysian Shadows, Saber Rider, and Alice Dreams Tournament, all of them successfully funded on Kickstarter, are doing a great job and I think we all each other instead of competing or whatever, which would make little sense considering we are not rivals. It's not like this is FIFA versus PES in your Christmas shopping list...

First thing, in our opinion, you have to learn low-level programming in C. And then SDL or OpenGL, so that you can start creating things that can be compiled for both PC and DC with only slight changes.

You are also working on having the game on PC and 3DS. What challenges do you meet in developing a game for three different platforms?

Fortunately, even though you still have to write a lot of low-level code and such, our engine/framework Dreamer is really versatile at that. That being said, we keep our 3D models very low in polygons, and also use a custom-built tool that allows us to visualize 3D objects exactly as they would look on a Dramcast. We are constantly measuring memory usage, counting vertices, and whatnot. Then, we know we can let go for the PC version. But we have to keep in mind the limitations of each hardware: while the Dreamcast may be weak in U and memory by today's standards, the 3DS is lacking a higher resolution and VRAM.

What sort of various mechanics will be on the different levels of Xenocider? How will each level be different?

Obstacles and physics, mainly. One of the planned stages is a volcanic world, so you must do your best to jump from platform to platform and avoid stepping on lava (because it burns). Another one is an underwater city, so your moves are slower and you need to calculate your jumps more carefully. When there's lower gravity, you can pretty much fly, as long as your jetpack doesn't get jammed... and so on.

You mention that players can upgrade Xara. What sorts of skills will they be upgrading? How can they customize Xara to their personal play style?

Upgrades are intended to add a little strategic factor to the game. Between levels, players will have the chance to improve Xara's firepower or her jetpack's energy reserves. But, what if your next destination is a world with a super high gravity and you won't be able to jump for long anyway? This circumstance, along with some level-branching, will give Xenocider a higher replayability.

Why is Xara blowing up these worlds? What is the back story of Xenocider, and how will it be featured in the game?

Xara wakes up in the middle of a space base. She has no idea why she's there or where she came from. But, she can hear a voice telling her to blast her way out and await further orders. It suits her fine, as she feels an uncontrollable thirst for killing, even if she doesn't understand why yet. As she keeps defeating bosses and devastating planets, she begins to wonder about her origins.

The little plot an old-school arcade may need will be revealed at the end of the game, with little hints between levels, probably during the upgrade and loading screens.

What are key aspects of a good rail shooter? How do you intend to ensure those aspects are in Xenocider?

I think both Space Harrier and Sin & Punishment, while more or less belonging to the same genre, are radically different from each other, so we tried to come up with a middle term we thought will be fun for a wide range of players. You cannot just stop running and take your time to aim carefully like you'd do on the latter, as we wanted to keep the fast and hectic pace from Space Harrier, but you can jump and aim. However, depending on the environment, the mechanics will also change so the gameplay will fluctuate more towards one or the other. This is all made in a way that feels natural in the course of the game, with the level-branching and the upgrades and the little bits of plot that will be revealed.

How do you create enemy attack patterns and challenging bosses for a player in Xenocider? What do you have to keep in mind to satisfy a fan of this genre?

Believe it or not, I think this may be the hardest part for us... and the hardest question of this interview! At this stage, our demo is still a bit repetitive in of enemy patterns, but you can already see how they behave: the flying jellyfish float together and then come for you and explode on touch; the rockmen either charge throw big rocks at you from the cliffs; manta rays fly in pairs and shoot you after a few seconds. The stage boss, as you will see, doesn't even begin to make sense and that's exactly how we want it. Did stage bosses in Space Harrier make sense? No, because it was a hectic arcade and a ridiculously alien world!

We think and hope fans of the genre, and fans of classic arcade games in general, will appreciate this kind of game design and the experience it provides. Easy to play, difficult to master has been a constant for good arcades since, well... since Space Harrier? I pretty much consider that game the grandfather of all great arcades.

The post Xenocider Developers Talk Creating For The Dreamcast In 2016 appeared first on Siliconera.

Xenocider, a new rail shooter in development for PC, 3DS, and Dreamcast, draws inspiration from Sin & Punishment, Space Harrier, and Galaxy Force for its planet-exploding action.

Xara, a cyborg and powerful weapon, must work her way to the core of ten different planets, shooting enemies and bosses as she goes until she can plant a bomb and blow up the entire world. Players will be able to upgrade Xara’s skills between levels as well, letting them strengthen her in various ways.

Xenocider will have three difficulty levels, as well as a handful of modes like story, arcade, and boss rush. It is currently raising funding on Kickstarter, and players can a PC/Dreamcast demo from the campaign if they wish to try it before they donate.

The post Xenocider Is An All-New Rail Shooter For Dreamcast appeared first on Siliconera.

HuCast Games has released its 1990s-style danmaku shooter Ghost Blade for Dreamcast.

If you haven’t already pre-ordered, you can purchase it on HuCast’s website. The regular edition costs €32.95 / $44.99. While the limited edition will cost you €52.95 $89.99.

In Ghost Blade you pilot the titular ship – “the most lethal, fastest spaceship developed by man” – and have to use its powerful arsenal to single-handedly take down an invading alien force.

In total, it has three playable ships each with a different gun type, five levels to beat with huge bosses in Stage Mode, a Time Attack Mode, and a two or five minute Caravan Mode.

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Due to popular demand, the team behind anime-based 2D run-‘n’-shooter Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs have made the Dreamcast version part of the initial crowdfunding goal in its Kickstarter (thanks AbsoluteZeroNow).

This means that if the project can reach $75,000 in pledges then it will be released for PC, Nintendo 3DS, and Dreamcast.

Reflecting this change, you can now pledge towards the Kickstarter to receive physical versions of the Dreamcast version of Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs.

For $49 you get the game with the manual and spine card. For $99 you can add the soundtrack to that on a second CD. And for $139 you’ll get the game’s art book too. These rewards are predicted to arrive in April 2017 while other versions of the game have a November 2016 date attached to them.

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