tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9295201487622466432024-03-16T01:09:37.481+00:00SEGAtasticA daily news blog about everyone's favourite games company. The site has a focus on the retro and scene side of Sega, but also includes information on their latest games as well as coverage from legendary games magazine Famitsu.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger445125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-81227235084552864632010-01-03T23:21:00.009+00:002010-01-03T23:42:41.449+00:00Sonic to have his own rollercoaster at Alton TowersIt has been confirmed today that Sonic will have his own rollercoaster at Alton Towers. An existing ride, called the Spinball Whizzer, is to be re-themed in a Sonic style.<br /><br />Here is what TowersTimes has to say:<br /> <blockquote><span style="font-family: verdana;">"Rumours of a Spinball Whizzer retheme for 2010 first surfaced several months ago, but now TowersTimes are able to confirm that these rumours are true.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">The resort information packs in the Hotel bedrooms have been updated already, ahead of the new season, and a small promo shot of a Spinball Whizzer car has a Sonic the Hedgehog logo on the side. This would appear to confirm the plans for the ride which is due to open in February."</span></blockquote>The ride has been rumoured to be renamed "Sonic Spinball", a reference to his 1993 game of the same name. A new colour scheme for the ride is already in the process of being applied.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicspinballwhizzer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 396px; height: 296px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicspinballwhizzer.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The ride's new dark blue supports.<br /></span></div><br />It is likely that the ride will open to coïncide with the release of <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing</span>, which has a release date of February/March.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Still no confirmation for when Sega will re-open SegaWorld - perhaps to coïnicide with the launch of the Dreamcast 2?</span><br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.towerstimes.co.uk/">TowersTimes</a> and <a href="http://forum.towerstimes.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=25372&start=195">forums</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-15316121414254819092009-12-01T13:06:00.015+00:002010-07-08T14:02:20.417+01:00Mega Drive sales figures - an update<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/md.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 362px; height: 271px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/md.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />There has been further research conducted into the Mega Drive's <a href="http://segatastic.blogspot.com/search?q=sales+figures">total sales figures</a> within the Sega community, but this time more in-depth. This brings us closer to solving the dispute among retro gamers as to which console really did sell the most during the 16-bit console war.<br /><br />Here is a list of sales figures compiled so far, including sources:<br /><ul><li>Genesis (North America) - <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/14/business/international-business-sega-enterprises-pulls-its-saturn-video-console-us-market.html?pagewanted=1">20 million</a></li><li>Mega Drive (Japan) - <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.mega-drive.net/history.htm">4.3 million</a></span></li><li>Mega Drive (Europe) - <a href="http://www.mega-drive.net/history.htm">6.9 million</a><br /></li><li>Mega Drive (Brazil) - <a href="http://gamehall.uol.com.br/site/a-historia-do-mega-drive/">2 million+</a></li><li>Genesis 3 (North America) - <a href="http://gamehall.uol.com.br/site/a-historia-do-mega-drive/">2 million</a></li><li>Nomad (North America) - <a href="http://www.gamepro.com/article/features/125749/the-10-worst-selling-handhelds-of-all-time/">1 million</a></li><li>Mega Drive (Other Regions) - <a href="http://www.mega-drive.net/history.htm"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">3.5 million</span></a><br /></li></ul>This brings the total sold worldwide to around <span style="font-weight: bold;">39.7 million</span>. The most <a href="http://www.wired.com/gaming/gamingreviews/multimedia/2007/05/gallery_game_history?slide=21">widely-quoted</a> figure of 29 million total units sold must therefore be inaccurate, as this new figure has been compiled from various sources rather than just one.<br /><br />What the compiled figures do show is that the Mega Drive was the best-selling unit in the Americas. Nintendo's <a href="http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/consolidated_sales_e0806.pdf">official sales figures</a> quote that 23.35 million SNESs were sold in total, compared to the Mega Drive's 25 million.<br /><br />The Mega Drive sold more than the SNES in "other regions" as well, which includes Europe - compare Sega's 10.4 million to Nintendo's 8.58 million.<br /><br />These figures do miss out on one thing, however - there are no solid sales figures for the many variations of Mega Drives, such as the Wondermega and Multi-Mega. <a href="http://www.eidolons-inn.net/tiki-index.php?page=SegaBase+Sega+CD&bl=y">One website</a> mentions that in North America 10,000 JVC X'Eyes may have been sold along with 5,000 CDXs.<br /><br />If we take all of the figures gathered so far, we can safely assume that the Mega Drive sold almost <span style="font-weight: bold;">40 million units worldwide</span>, a much more accurate figure than the previously assumed 29 million. We can also say that the Mega Drive outsold the SNES in the Western hemisphere.<br /><br />It seems that Nintendo's huge sales of the SNES in Japan (17.7 million) have led to the general assumption that the Mega Drive was "beaten" everywhere, when in fact Japan was the only major market where this occurred. Japan's figures gave the total SNES sales a huge 49.1 million, compared to Sega's 39.7 million.<br /><br />Aside from these sales figures, the community found some software and hardware revenue figures from <a href="http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/grant/docs/11Videogames.pdf">Sega and Nintendo</a>:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sega - US Hardware and Software Revenue in millions of dollars</span> (including Sega Genesis, Sega CD, and Sega 32X, not including Sega Nomad, Sega CDX, JVC X'Eye, the Genesis 3 or software sold by Majesco in 1997-1999)<br /><br />1989 - $182<br />1990 - $280<br />1991 - $586<br />1992 - $1,151<br />1993 - $1,938<br />1994 - $1,812 (End of 16-bit era Total: $5,949)<br />1995 - $812<br />1996 - $294<br />1997 - $180<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total - $7,235</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">vs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Super NES - US Hardware & Software Revenue in millions of dollars</span><br /><br />1991 - $560<br />1992 - $1,733<br />1993 - $1,890<br />1994 - $1,471 (End of 16-bit era Total: $5,654)<br />1995 - $823<br />1996 - $514<br />1997 - $243 (End of Sega Total: $7,234)<br />1998 - $137<br />1999 - $20<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Total - $7,391</span></blockquote>This shows that Sega was ahead (revenue-wise) of Nintendo from 1994, with Sega's cheaper hardware and software suggesting more units were sold. If we take into account Sega's hardware and software not included on the list then surely they made more revenue in total?<br /><br />I will update the figures when more sources have been found. All this effort put in from the community shows that for many of us, the 16-bit war will rage for all eternity!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">EDIT 28/12/09:</span> I have updated the figures with new information, mainly for Europe and Japan.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">02/01/10:</span> Here is another source for the Mega Drive sales figures. [Unreliable chart removed.]<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">08/07/10:</span> <a href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/mdsalesuntilendof1994sc.jpg">Here</a> is a chart from the May 1995 issue of <span style="font-style: italic;">Man!ac Magazine</span> showing console sales of 29 million at the fiscal end of 1994.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com421tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-62906178746808558492009-11-09T17:28:00.004+00:002009-11-26T20:36:46.844+00:00Celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall with your Game GearToday marks the 20<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was on this day in 1989 that the border crossings were opened to allow people to freely travel either side of Berlin, previously split in two since 1961.<br /><br />There have been celebrations worldwide today, so why not have a look at this obscure Game Gear title to mark the occasion?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/berlinwallbox.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 317px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/berlinwallbox.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Not a very historically-accurate <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">portrayal</span>.<br /><br /></span></div>The game in question is called <span style="font-style: italic;">The Berlin Wall</span>, released in 1991 in the arcades and on the Game Gear by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Kaneko</span>. It plays similarly to <span style="font-style: italic;">Space Panic</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Lode Runner</span>, whereby you must navigate various platforms linked by ladders and trap enemies.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/berlinwall1.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 212px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/berlinwall1.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The only links to the Wall itself are that you must chip away bits of concrete, and there are poorly digitised photos of the Berlin Wall scattered throughout the game. Nice.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/berlinwall2.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 212px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/berlinwall2.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />You'll have a hard time finding a copy of the game as it was only released in Japan, but at least Game Gear games are region-free.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Thanks to </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/segahacking/gg2sms.html">Chris <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Covell</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> and </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.albrito.com/collezione/Game%20Gear%20Games/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Albrito</span></a><span style="font-style: italic;">. Also see Chris's excellent <a href="http://www.disgruntleddesigner.com/chrisc/secret.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Famicom</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Tsushin</span></a> page.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-48090715290292158122009-10-04T16:31:00.006+01:002010-02-20T18:05:47.363+00:00Sega named as one of the world's coolest brands<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/logosega.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 316px; height: 104px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/logosega.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />This week the annual CoolBrands list was published, with Sega making it into the final selection.<br /><br />Every year <a href="http://www.tcba.co.uk/">The Centre for Brand Analysis</a> in the UK assemble an "Expert Council", made up of fashion designers, artists, presenters and more, to decide which are the world's coolest brands. Members of the general public are also invited to share their opinion, and can nominate brands for consideration.<br /><br />Brands, which can be products or companies, are rated on their style, innovation, originality, authenticity, desirability and uniqueness. Then, based on this criteria, the nominations are whittled down to a list of just 500, creating the CoolBrands Top 500.<br /><br />Sega was one of the few games brands to make the list, with Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox and Sony all finishing in the Top 20. Other games brands in the Top 500 included Atari, EA, <span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Hero</span> and Konami.<br /><br />If this was the Nineties then Sega would surely have made the Top 20 ahead of Nintendo, who finished fifth. Oh well.<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.coolbrands.uk.com/">CoolBrands</a>]<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">P.S. Today is SEGAtastic's first birthday! The blog managed to document an exciting year for Sega, which included the release of one of their best games for years (</span>Valkyria Chronicles<span style="font-style: italic;">), marked them as the top publisher for hardcore Wii games (</span>MadWorld<span style="font-style: italic;">, </span>House of the Dead: Overkill<span style="font-style: italic;">) and (maybe) forecast a future of quality Sonic games (</span>Project Needlemouse<span style="font-style: italic;">, </span>All-Stars Racing<span style="font-style: italic;">).</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-20931268593451591492009-09-09T13:54:00.007+01:002009-09-10T11:48:06.031+01:0009/09/09 - Sonic's long-awaited return<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/needlemouselogo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 216px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/needlemouselogo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Hello everyone! This is my first post since June when I suspended the blog. I said in the comments section of my "final" post that I would occasionally come back whenever something interesting happens. Well today (UK time), on the 10th Anniversary of the Dreamcast's North American launch, Sega announced what old-school Sonic fans have been waiting to hear for a very long time.<br /><br />In an interview on GameSpot, Sega's brand manager Ken Ballough announced a new 2D/HD Sonic game, with the working title <span style="font-style: italic;">Project Needlemouse</span>.<br /><blockquote>"Old-school Sonic fans have long asked to see Sonic return to a more 2D style of gameplay. Many liked the daytime stages in <span style="font-style: italic;">Unleashed</span>, but wanted to see a game that plays purely similar to the early games of the Genesis. <span style="font-style: italic;">Project Needlemouse</span> is that critical first step that brings Sonic back to his 2D roots."</blockquote><br /><embed id="mymovie" flashvars="playerMode=embedded&movieAspect=4.3&flavor=EmbeddedPlayerVersion&skin=http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cne_flash/production/media_player/proteus/one/skins/gamespot.png&paramsURI=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gamespot.com%2Fpages%2Fvideo_player%2Fxml.php%3Fid%3D6216988%26mode%3Dembedded%26width%3D432%26height%3D362" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" quality="high" name="mymovie" style="" src="http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/cne_flash/production/media_player/proteus/one/proteus2.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="362" width="432"></embed><br /><br />A trailer has also been released, stating "Speed returns, in an all new 2D adventure built from the ground up". This confirms the game will not be running on the Hedgehog Engine or be a remake of a previous title.<br /><br />On the subject of visuals, Ballough said "You can definitely expect HD graphics". He did not confirm whether or not they would be 3D graphics on a 2D plane (as in <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic Rivals</span>), 3D models on a 2D background (as in <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic Rush</span>), or 2D sprites on a 3D background (like Namco's <span style="font-style: italic;">Klonoa</span>). From the art that has been released, it looks unlikely that the game will be fully 2D.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/concept_art_snapshot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 398px; height: 108px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/concept_art_snapshot.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The artwork released was found on the <a href="http://www.needlemouse.com/">teaser website</a>, with the filename "concept_art_snapshot.jpg". It looks to be based on Green Hill Zone, and has been rendered in 3D.<br /><br />The game is set for release in 2010 on (probably) PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. I can hardly wait.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/2010nm.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 352px; height: 176px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/2010nm.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />[Source: <a href="http://au.gamespot.com/pc/action/projectneedlemouse/news.html?sid=6216990&mode=previews">GameSpot</a> via <a href="http://kotaku.com/5355153/sonic-returns-in-new-2d-hd-game">Kotaku</a>]<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">P.S. Remember to check back here every few weeks or months - I will still occasionally post updates on major Sega events (such as this), and my time studying Games Design (which starts next week - ARGH!).<br /><br /></span><span><span style="font-weight: bold;">EDIT:</span> The teaser site, containing the "concept art", is <a href="http://www.tssznews.com/2009/09/09/needlemouse-com-site-a-fake/">fake</a>. This means the graphics may not be in 3D, and use one of the combinations posted above. I personally hope for 2D hand-drawn graphics, with layers upon layers of glorious parallax!</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-35791221769149692622009-06-25T18:18:00.003+01:002009-06-25T18:32:12.935+01:00Sega Toys release listening flowers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/hanappasunflower.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 221px; height: 244px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/hanappasunflower.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Last year Sega Toys released Pekoppa, a plant that "listened" to whatever the speaker said and reacted by moving up and down. Now they have released an updated version called Hanappa ("hana" meaning "flower" or "petal"), which features more designs and actions.<br /><br />The battery-powered plant is available in African Daisy, Sunflower and Marguerite varieties. New movements include flapping leaves and "acting surprised". How can a plant look surprised?<br /><br />If you want one of these highly useless toys, you can import them for around £20 after July 4th. I think I'll pass.<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/06/25/hanappa-sega-toys-to-offer-yet-another-plant-listening-to-your-sorrows/">CrunchGear</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-22029084404821698182009-06-24T15:38:00.003+01:002009-06-24T15:51:44.892+01:00Play these ancient Sega gamesThere has been a Photoshop contest over on Gizmodo, the theme being "what if games consoles had been around for hundreds of years?". Aside from the <span style="font-style: italic;">Call of Duty</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Hero</span> remakes, there were some Sega-related ones.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/ancientcrazyhorsey.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 347px; height: 277px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/ancientcrazyhorsey.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />My favourite was "Crazy Horsey", a play on <span style="font-style: italic;">Crazy Taxi</span>. Presumably you must ride your horse around the village, taking peasants to their chosen destinations (such as the gallows).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/ancientgtwiv.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 269px; height: 347px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/ancientgtwiv.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The next one wasn't exactly Sega-based, but was apparently made for the Genesis. With a name like "Grand Theft Wheel 4", that's the only console it could be made for, although the box says it's available on Mega Drive too.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://gizmodo.com/photogallery/ancientvideogames/1008994185">here</a> to see the rest of the entries. "Grand Theft Horse" is definitely the best.<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5301219/65-ancient-video-games-i-wish-existed">Gizmodo</a> via <a href="http://kotaku.com/5301888/if-only-video-games-had-been-invented-before-the-20th-century/gallery/">Kotaku</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-53341765603310681742009-06-23T14:31:00.005+01:002009-06-23T14:50:45.659+01:00Is Moonwalker 2 in development?<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/mj.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 191px; height: 195px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/mj.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Ow! Hee-hee! Who's bad?</span><br /><br /></div>There have been rumours across the internet this week that Michael Jackson is set to appear in a new game. It is apparently being developed for the PS3, PS2 and Wii, with a release date of Christmas 2009.<br /><br />The game is supposedly based on Michael's This Is It concert at the O<sub>2</sub> arena in London, and is being created by his film production company MJJ Productions. There has been no mention of a publisher, although Sega have published almost every game Michael has cameoed in so far.<br /><br />Gameplay-wise, the game could be in the style of <span style="font-style: italic;">Dance Dance Revolution</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">SingStar</span>, as the music videos are set to feature heavily. It is aimed at the whole family.<br /><br />Past games Michael has appeared in include <span style="font-style: italic;">Moonwalker</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Space Channel 5</span> 1 and 2, <span style="font-style: italic;">Ready 2 Rumble Boxing</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">I'm Sorry</span>. He also apparently created the music for <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic 3</span>.<br /><br />It would be great if Sega published the game, but I doubt it will happen. I really enjoyed <span style="font-style: italic;">Moonwalker</span> on the Mega Drive, so hopefully this new game will be good too!<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.9lives.be/gamepublishers/9lives/nieuws/nieuw-michael-jackson-game-op-komst">9Lives</a> via <a href="http://www.nowgamer.com/news/722/new-michael-jackson-game-rumoured">NowGamer</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-64956017194534409682009-06-23T13:57:00.003+01:002009-06-23T14:27:11.355+01:00Happy 18th Birthday Sonic!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonic1palcover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 340px; height: 480px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonic1palcover.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Today is Sonic's 18th Birthday - it was 18 years ago today that <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic the Hedgehog</span> was released on the Mega Drive in North America and Europe. The Japanese release was a month later, with added parallax and raster effects.<br /><br />Sonic showed everyone what the Mega Drive could do, and what the NES couldn't. He was part of the reason Sega dominated the generation in Europe, and challenged Nintendo's rule in the rest of the world.<br /><br />Despite some terrible games in the last decade, Sonic has remained a household name. At one point in the Nineties he was more well-known among children that Mickey Mouse! He was also the first video game character to appear in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, a feat only replicated by Pikachu.<br /><br />To think it was nearly 15 years ago that I first played <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic 2</span> on the Mega Drive - I still own both the game and the console. <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic Adventure 2</span> was the reason I bought a GameCube back in 2002 (sorry Dreamcast!).<br /><br />Hopefully Sonic will still be around in another 18 years, with a return to form in his games. More 2D sidescrollers please Sega (and a new console whilst you're at it)!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-39008560255224116072009-06-22T16:21:00.004+01:002009-06-22T16:40:43.572+01:00More Tamagotchi Park info<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/growthcharttamapark.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 376px; height: 473px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/growthcharttamapark.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Slightly edited growth chart for the Segagotchi eggs.<br /><br /></span></div>I found some more information regarding the Saturn Tamagotchi game <a href="http://segatastic.blogspot.com/2009/06/sonic-appeared-in-saturn-tamagotchi.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sega Saturn de Hakken!! Tamagotchi Park</span></a>, which featured cameos from many Sega characters.<br /><br />One interesting point is that only certain eggs can become Sega characters, rather than one egg becoming any character (like the keychain pets). These "Segagotchi" eggs all have characters based on Sega hardware and franchises.<br /><br />The baby and child characters are Master System cards, the teenage characters are a Saturn disc and a Mega Drive cartridge, and the adult characters are based on Opa Opa, Pengo, Flicky, Alex Kidd, and Sonic.<br /><br />The games you can play include a food-eating contest (does Sonic eat chilli dogs?) and a Chao-style race, where you can cheer your pet on to make it faster.<br /><br />The game as a whole sounds fun. If only Bandai would release Segagotchi in keychain form - that would be excellent!<br /><br />[Source: WarOmnimon from <a href="http://tama-zone.com/index.php?showtopic=18458">Tama-Zone</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-27610414262761545232009-06-22T13:34:00.002+01:002009-06-22T13:53:05.437+01:00UK Charts: Week Ending 20/06/09<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/segacharts2.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 393px; height: 168px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/segacharts2.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Today is Monday, the new home of the UK Charts. From now on I will post today rather than on a Tuesday due to most other blogs shifting to Monday, rendering my charts ancient history (by internet standards).<br /><br />Anyway, to the games. <span style="font-style: italic;">Virtua Tennis 2009</span> is continuing its rise up the charts, climbing two places to #9. <span style="font-style: italic;">Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games</span>, which has been falling quite rapidly in recent weeks, has remained at #22.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Football Manager 2009</span> has dropped three places to #29, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Sega Superstars Tennis</span> has fallen four places to #32.<br /><br />Not a particularly eventful week, although I am surprised that <span style="font-style: italic;">Mario and Sonic</span> is finally falling down the charts. It was almost permanently in the Top 10, and now it's at a measly #22. Surely everyone has a copy by now?<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">More <a href="http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p/software/uk/latest/index_test.jsp&ct=110015">charts</a> next week. See last week's <a href="http://segatastic.blogspot.com/2009/06/uk-charts-week-ending-130609.html">here</a>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-16349358867051875212009-06-21T17:02:00.004+01:002009-06-22T16:41:56.334+01:00Sonic appeared in Saturn Tamagotchi game<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/segasaturndehakken.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 304px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/segasaturndehakken.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://segatastic.blogspot.com/2009/04/sega-made-virtual-pet.html">A while ago</a> I posted information on a Sega Toys-produced virtual pet toy. Recently I discovered that Sonic himself appeared in a Tamagotchi game, published by Bandai in 1998.<br /><br />The game, entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Sega Saturn de Hakken!! Tamagotchi Park</span> ("de Hakken" meaning "discovered in"), had some hidden Sega characters that your pet could turn into, among them Sonic and Alex Kidd. "Sonikkutchi" could be fed, played with and given medicine, and would sleep in a ball at night. Awww.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonikkutchi.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 103px; height: 131px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonikkutchi.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://sonicology.ionichost.com/cameos/">Sonicology</a> says that Sonikkutchi was the best character, a spot usually filled by Mametchi and Mimitchi (yes, I'm a Tamagotchi freak). I'm not sure how good of a character Arekutchi (Alex Kidd) was, however.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/arekutchi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 100px; height: 118px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/arekutchi.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Sonic has certainly appeared in some weird places. It's a shame how often he cameos with Mario nowadays, though. It would have been unthinkable back in the Nineties!<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.geocities.jp/ao_gram/sonic/tamagotti.html">Random Japanese Sonic Site</a> and <a href="http://www.clavis.ne.jp/%7Esonic/segasonic/act2/1998.htm">Act Select</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-25312755004924126582009-06-20T12:33:00.007+01:002009-06-20T13:13:45.322+01:00Sonic characters' name etymologies are interesting<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/robotnikpaper.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 311px; height: 447px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/robotnikpaper.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Probably not where Robotnik's name came from...<br /><br /></span></div>An interesting blog called "Back of the Cereal Box" has posted a history of game characters' name etymologies. It includes explanations of names in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Zelda</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Mario</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Street Fighter</span> series, as well as the <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic</span> series.<br /><br />Most of the etymologies are fairly well-known in the Sonic community, but make an interesting read nonetheless:<br /><em></em><blockquote><em>"Robotnik</em> happens to mean <em>worker</em> in Polish and <em>peasant</em> in Czech.<span style="font-size:85%;"></span> <em>Robotnik</em> was even the name of the newspaper of the Polish Socialist Party. Is Sonic, then, crusading against socialism? Probably not. <em>Robotnik</em> comes from the same origins as the word <em>robot</em>, and the <em>Sonic</em> villain should be known for robot creation if nothing else. Today, Robotnik goes by the far less cool name <em>Doctor Eggman</em>, in apparent reference to his rotund physique. By the way, on the subject of the character’s appearance, his looks — including his trademark moustache — were inspired by Teddy Roosevelt.<span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><br />Similarly, Sonic’s sidekick Tails has two names as well — the one everyone knows and his “real” name, <span style="font-style: italic;">Miles Prower</span>. It might seem like a useless footnote, but it brings the added benefit of being a pun on the phrase <span style="font-style: italic;">miles per hour</span>.<span style="font-size:85%;"></span> (Ha.) It should probably be noted that joke would make a lot more sense if Tails was known for his ability to run quickly instead of uselessly flying about with an anatomically anomalous helicopter tail.<br /><br />The majority of <em>Sonic</em> characters aren’t of much use for this article as their names are straightforward. (Knuckles the Echidna, for example, is an echidna who has pointy knuckles. Brilliant.) There are, however, two characters that time has essentially forgotten, Ray the Flying Squirrel and Mighty the Armadillo, that I think deserve a mention. Both debuted in an arcade game, <em>SegaSonic the Hedgehog</em>, that allowed players to control Sonic, Ray and Mighty with a trackball and a single jump button. The three moved identically.<span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><br /></span>Despite what their names might imply, Ray could not fly and Mighty was not especially powerful. Lame, I know. And I think Sega did too, as Ray never appeared again and Mighty appeared only once more. However, latter-day <em>Sonic</em> games such as <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic Heroes </span>frequently feature characters grouped into threes — one that can move fast, one that can fly, and one especially that is strong. If you think about it, these three attributes are reflected in the names of the leads in <em>SegaSonic the Hedgehog</em>. In the sense of sunlight, a ray is an airborne thing, while the associations with the word <em>mighty</em> are obvious. In this sense, <em>SegaSonic the Hedgehog</em>’s take on the three-man team could be seen as a precursor to what appeared in these later games.<br /><br />Two other quick ones: A few <em>Sonic</em> games feature a ninja chameleon named Espio and I only recently realized that the reference to the word <em>espionage</em> makes the name the most appropriate one ever for a ninja chameleon.<br /><br />Sega jumped on the fighting game craze in 1996 with <em>Sonic the Fighters</em>, which had the various <em>Sonic</em> characters kicking the crap out of each other for no apparent reason. The cast included a character whose name bucks the pattern of “name + <em>the</em> + animal species” — a bomb-tossing duck saddled with the baffler <span style="font-style: italic;">Bean the Dynamite</span>. The odd name references the lesser known Sega title <em>Dynamite D</em><span style="font-style: italic;">ü</span><em>x</em>, which starred ducks named <span style="font-style: italic;">Bin</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Pin</span> who also specialized in explosive devices.<span style="font-size:85%;">"</span></blockquote><span style="font-size:100%;">I never realised that Espio was short for "espionage", and that <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic Heroes</span> may have been based on <span style="font-style: italic;">SegaSonic the Hedgehog</span>. Weird. Anyway, aside from Sonic, there is an entry on <span style="font-style: italic;">Golden Axe</span>:<br /></span></span><blockquote>"Ax Battler is one of the three playable characters in Sega’s sword-slinging beat-’em-up <i>Golden Axe</i>, the other two being Red Sonja rip-off Tyris Flare and feisty dwarf Gillius Thunderhead, the latter of which himself has a pretty terrific name. Upon hearing the name <i>Ax Battler</i>, you might think the name is actually a description of the character. It’s not. You might also think he’d be the one of the three characters who fights with an axe — if not the very axe referenced in the game’s title. Nope again. Mr. Battler carries a sword; it’s Mr. Thunderhead who carries the axe. Finally, there’s the strangeness in the fact that the game officially spells the character’s name <i>Ax</i> — that is, without the “E” at the end. Now <i>ax</i> is an acceptable spelling of the word more commonly represented as <i>axe</i>, but the fact that both would feature in the game so prominently is just stupid. Even worse: a later spin-off that focused specifically on Ax at the exclusion of Tyris and Gillius awkwardly included both spellings in the same title: <i>Ax Battler: A Legend of Golden Axe</i>. Fortunately, this title is now remembered as little more than a rip-off of <i>Zelda II: The Adventure of Link</i>, even down to the structure of the title. Sequels <i>Golden Axe: Revenge of Death Adder</i> and <i>Golden Axe III</i> replace Ax with clones with equally awkward names: Stern Blade and Kain Grinder, respectively."</blockquote>Ax Battler is almost as cool as Captain Ace Gunn and Major Rock Hardy from <span style="font-style: italic;">Xybots</span>. Why aren't characters named so ridiculously now?<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />[Source: <a href="http://kidicarus222.blogspot.com/2009/06/its-secret-to-everybody.html">Back of the Cereal Box</a> via <a href="http://kotaku.com/5297348/a-not-so-brief-history-of-video-game-names">Kotaku</a>]<br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-14443796051850544942009-06-19T16:41:00.003+01:002009-06-19T17:03:37.279+01:00Arcade version of Golden Axe to be released on Virtual Console<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/goldenaxecoinop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 332px; height: 500px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/goldenaxecoinop.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Next week, the arcade version of the Sega classic <span style="font-style: italic;">Golden Axe</span> will be released on the Japanese Virtual Console. The game will retail for 800 Wii Points, the same price as the Mega Drive version.<br /><br />There are some differences between the Mega Drive and the arcade version, which may make you consider buying both. The arcade version features a higher colour palette, better animation and sound, parallax scrolling and generally more detail. The Mega Drive version, due to technical limitations, has less colour and detail but makes up for it with two extra levels and two extra modes ("Beginner" and "Duel").<br /><br />All of the Mega Drive versions of <span style="font-style: italic;">Golden Axe</span> are available on the Virtual Console, including <span style="font-style: italic;">Golden Axe III</span> which was never released in cartridge form outside of Japan. They are also available on <span style="font-style: italic;">Mega Drive Ultimate Collection</span>.<br /><br />There has been no mention of a North American or European release yet.<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2009/06/nintendo_download_23_24_june_2009_japan">Nintendo Life</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-15987649418376488832009-06-18T18:11:00.002+01:002009-06-18T18:29:29.606+01:00Alien Soldier gets Genesis'd<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/aliensoldiergenesisd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 304px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/aliensoldiergenesisd.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />"Bratwurst" over on <a href="http://www.sega-16.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7641">Sega-16</a> has created a Genesis version of the classic Treasure shooter <span style="font-style: italic;">Alien Soldier</span>, box and all. The game, originally released in 1995, never saw a Genesis release, making it only to Japan and Europe on the Mega Drive.<br /><br />Other well-known Treasure games on the Mega Drive include <span style="font-style: italic;">Gunstar Heroes</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Dynamite Headdy</span>, both of which were released in all regions. The only way to play <span style="font-style: italic;">Alien Soldier</span> in North America was through the Sega Channel service, a cable equivalent of today's PSN and XBLA.<br /><br />Games such as <span style="font-style: italic;">Pulseman</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Golden Axe III</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Mega Man: The Wily Wars</span> were only released on the Channel, with some since being "Genesis'd" by Bratwurst. These cartridge versions are sometimes available for purchase.<br /><br />You can of course buy <span style="font-style: italic;">Alien Soldier</span> on the Virtual Console, but why would you want that when you could have the physical version?<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://kotaku.com/5294932/crazed-fan-brings-classic-treasure-shooter-to-us-genesis">Kotaku</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-58215757040854178972009-06-17T16:56:00.004+01:002009-06-17T17:18:16.135+01:00Master Systems do not make good Tap boxes<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/picoletstap.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 401px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/picoletstap.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Picos aren't much good either.<br /><br /></span></div>Sega of America employees have been competing in a <span style="font-style: italic;">Let's Tap</span> Tap-Off, each using a specialist "box" of their choice. Let's Tap requires the Wii remote to be placed on tappable surface in order to pick up the vibrations which control the game.<br /><br />Choices of weapon included an Xbox 360, a <span style="font-style: italic;">NiGHTS</span> magazine cover, a PS3 box and a Wii box. By far the best (yet least effective) boxes were the Sega Pico box and the Master System.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/mastersystemletstap.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 401px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/mastersystemletstap.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Whilst the Pico box faired okay, the Master System proved unsuccessful. Here's what the Tapper said:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"Let me just say that this was a mistake. I completely failed the third round because the poor Master System wasn't picking up the vibrations, and I didn't have the heart to hit it hard.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /><br />Don't try this one at home, folks."</span></blockquote>In future just stick to cardboard. Take it from Sega: don't risk destroying your beautiful old consoles!<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/segaamerica/sets/72157619761488841/">Sega of America Flickr</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-60409447701944453602009-06-16T15:29:00.003+01:002009-06-16T16:04:05.310+01:00More Sonic 18th Birthday tat<a href="http://segatastic.blogspot.com/2009/06/sega-japan-giving-away-prizes-for.html">Last week</a> I reported how Sega Japan are giving away prizes in celebration of Sonic's 18th Birthday. Well, the competition is still open, but you can also download some free stuff for your phone!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicake18.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicake18.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Birthday-themed wallpaper is available for download, which unfortunately has a large watermark on. You'll have to go on the <a href="http://puyosega.com/">WAP site</a> to download them properly, where I would personally opt for Sonic holding the doughnut cake with Iced Gems around it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicraincoat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 295px; height: 295px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicraincoat.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Perhaps not in celebration of Sonic's birthday on Tuesday, but still good anyway, is this newly-released Sonic raincoat. The coat has a nice varsity-style Sonic print on it, front and back. It will cost you <span style="" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()"><span style="color:#000000;">¥</span></span>4,935 (about £30), which is actually quite good in comparison to the outrageously-priced <a href="http://ebten.jp/sega/">Enterbrain Sega products</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/staysonictshirt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 296px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/staysonictshirt.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Other items available, which are made by <a href="http://www.cospa.com/itemlist/id/00647/mode/series/page/1/series_index/SA/itemp_series_id/00647">Cospa</a>, include a "Stay Sonic" t-shirt (<span style="" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()"><span style="color:#000000;">¥3,045/£20), those indie cushions (</span></span><span style="" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()"><span style="color:#000000;">¥2,625/£16.55)</span></span><span style="" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()"><span style="color:#000000;"> and bandanas (</span></span><span style="" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()"><span style="color:#000000;">¥1,260/£8)</span></span><span style="" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()"><span style="color:#000000;"> I mentioned <a href="http://segatastic.blogspot.com/2009/03/indie-sonic-cushion-insanity.html">a few months ago</a>, a reversible Sonic/Werehog top (</span></span><span style="" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()"><span style="color:#000000;">¥4,200/£26), and various other Sonic t-shirts for </span></span><span style="" onmouseover="_tipon(this)" onmouseout="_tipoff()"><span style="color:#000000;">¥3,045 each.<br /><br />If only I lived in Japan - the amount of Sega-themed tat I would own!<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://blog.sonic-channel.jp/">Sonic Channel</a>]<br /></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-27488989656519462482009-06-16T15:09:00.004+01:002009-06-16T15:18:55.815+01:00UK Charts: Week Ending 13/06/09<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/segacharts2.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 416px; height: 178px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/segacharts2.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Virtua Tennis 2009</span> is again this week's highest Sega charter, taking over the role from <span style="font-style: italic;">Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games</span>. It has dropped two places to #11, with <span style="font-style: italic;">Mario and Sonic</span> falling one place to #22.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Football Manager 2009</span> keeps a steady position at #26, up three from last week. <span style="font-style: italic;">Sega Superstars Tennis</span> has risen as well, up five places to #28.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Mega Drive Ultimate Collection</span> has failed to get back in the Top 40, after falling out last week. Oh well.<br /><br />In the future I may start posting the UK Charts on a Monday, as other blogs seem to be doing this as well making mine outdated. At least I use a different chart to most other blogs!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">More <a href="http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p/software/uk/latest/index_test.jsp&ct=110015">charts</a> next week. See last week's <a href="http://segatastic.blogspot.com/2009/06/uk-charts-week-ending-060609.html">here</a>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-21387973359865791312009-06-15T16:25:00.002+01:002009-06-15T16:35:32.366+01:00Arcade version of Space Harrier released on Virtual Console<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/spaceharrierarcade.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 224px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/spaceharrierarcade.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Space Harrier</span> is one of the many <a href="http://segatastic.blogspot.com/2009/03/segas-arcade-games-available-on-virtual.html">arcade titles</a> coming to the Virtual Console this year. Today it was released on the North American store, with the European store receiving it on the 29th May. Japan got it back in March when the games were first announced.<br /><br />It was <a href="http://segatastic.blogspot.com/2009/03/space-harrier-out-now-on-virtual.html">originally thought</a> that the arcade titles would cost 500 Wii Points, 300 Points cheaper than their Mega Drive counterparts. It turns out that they too will cost 800 Points.<br /><br /><a href="http://vc.nintendolife.com/reviews/2009/05/space_harrier_virtual_console">Nintendo Life</a> gave the arcade version just 5/10, whereas the Master System version got one point more. I would rate the game higher than that just to watch the mesmerising chequerboard floor!<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2009/06/nintendo_download_toasters_rainbows_catching_calculators_clocks_and_harriers_us">Nintendo Life</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-14681613641239429622009-06-14T19:52:00.005+01:002009-06-14T20:10:12.101+01:00Sega-esque logo spotted in music videoYes, this is positively ancient news (in internet terms) to some people, but watching the amazing video of Justice's "DVNO", I noticed a logo that looked remarkably familiar.<br /><br />The 2008 video is based on the <a href="http://scanimate.zfx.com/">Scanimate</a> logos utilised by TV channels and production studios in the 1970s and 1980s. Some are faithful reproductions, whilst others reference to other companies.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/dvnosweat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 381px; height: 207px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/dvnosweat.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The Sega-esque logo pops up with the lyric "make the girls sweat", with "sweat" being in the classic Sega logo font. Beads of liquid drip down the metallic letters with glowy purple shapes in the background.<br /><br />I based my Christmas SEGAtastic logo on the Scanimate and airbrush style:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/segatasticshiny2.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 409px; height: 129px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/segatasticshiny2.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The video as a whole is absolutely brilliant - I love anything shiny, so seeing logos based on analogue video technology was very pleasing. Digital technology simply cannot recreate light with as much realism and flare as the old Scanimate machines, but this video comes close.<br /><br />You can view the video below:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/etWi1bOotd0&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/etWi1bOotd0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://fontfeed.com/archives/back-to-the-eighties-with-justices-dvno/">The FontFeed</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-79862589484977277162009-06-13T18:36:00.004+01:002009-06-13T18:58:50.358+01:00Some horrific Sonic merchandise for youBrowsing Sega Europe's <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/segaeurope/">Flickr</a> I came across some highly disturbing pieces of merchandise. One a novelty controller, the other a novelty comic.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/shadowps2controller.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 358px; height: 268px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/shadowps2controller.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The first item is a PS2 controller released alongside the abomination that was <span style="font-style: italic;">Shadow the Hedgehog</span>. Created exclusively for 13-year-old emos, you too can HOLD Shadow whilst CONTROLLING him on the screen! Oh joy. At least it comes in a nice plastic orb.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonickidscomic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 348px; height: 464px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonickidscomic.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Argh! Tails has TOES!<br /><br /></span></div>The next item is a comic with the inevitable "kids" theme. Yes, even Sonic has undergone this treatment, along with Scooby Doo and the Muppets. You can read about his non-canon adventures (where he and Tails apparently went to pre-school together) in "Sonic Kids", an Archie Super Sonic Special. No thanks.<br /><br />Remember to keep checking Sega's <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/segaamerica/">Flickrs</a>, as you never know what horrific merchandise from yesteryear will pop up!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-25999338344781469802009-06-12T16:44:00.006+01:002009-06-12T19:35:02.113+01:00Sonic joke book is Green Hill-ariousThere is an interesting discussion over on Sonic Retro about <a href="http://www.deco.franken.de/books/books.html">Sonic books</a> from back in the day. The UK got its fair share of weird titles, including a Sonic-themed joke book (which is available to download in the thread).<br /><br />Here is a selection of some of the jokes, for your delight and delectation:<br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"Why doesn't Tails wear a watch? Because time flies on its own!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Can Robotnik eat soup with a big moustache? Yes, but it's easier with a spoon!"</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"When my Mobian Measles get better? I don't know - I don't make rash promises!"</span></blockquote>Each joke is accompanied by a humorous (and <a href="http://www.youchewpoop.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8667&start=0">highly exploitable</a>) image, some more questionable than others:<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/jokebookmagicpills.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 277px; height: 299px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/jokebookmagicpills.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Remember kids: just say no!<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/jokebookhorse.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 296px; height: 233px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/jokebookhorse.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I'll let you decide what the horse is trying to do here.<br /></span></div><br />Unfortunately books with this high calibre are not produced anymore. You'll have to settle with these Archie compilations instead, the <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sonic-Hedgehog-Archives-Mike-Gallagher/dp/1879794446/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1244828468&sr=8-9">newest</a> of which is released on August 5th.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicarchivesvol11.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 315px; height: 315px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicarchivesvol11.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>[Source: <a href="http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=15539">Sonic Retro</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-14844977811901937952009-06-11T19:10:00.003+01:002009-06-11T19:38:02.643+01:00Sega Japan giving away prizes for Sonic's 18th Birthday!On June 23rd, Sonic will be celebrating his 18th Birthday. To mark this occasion, Sega Japan are giving away prizes to 300 lucky people.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicmobilecharm.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicmobilecharm.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />To be in with a chance of winning, you must sign up to the "<a href="http://puyosega.com/">PuyoPuyo!Sega</a>" mobile site and complete a quiz. 200 people with all the correct answers will win a Sonic mobile charm, and another 100 will win a Sonic hand towel. The designs are in the style of Sonic's concept drawings.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonichandtowel.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 195px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonichandtowel.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Of course, these rules have been translated and so may be incorrect. It is also impossible to access the site at the moment (it may be mobile only), so you cannot enter yet! Not that you could anyway, as the competition is limited to Japan residents only.<br /><br />Both prizes look absolutely delicious - the mobile charm doubles as a screen cleaner, and I suppose you could use the towel for the same purpose. If you're weird.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicuniqlo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 230px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/sonicuniqlo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />In other news, <a href="http://ut.uniqlo.com/game">Uniqlo</a> have just released some more Sonic t-shirts. The latest designs feature Sonic circa 1999, with only his gloves and socks visible. Many other Sega-related t-shirts can be bought as well off the website.<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://blog.sonic-channel.jp/">Sonic Channel</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-63950913821510844172009-06-10T12:13:00.005+01:002009-06-10T16:40:24.909+01:00UK Charts: Week Ending 06/06/09<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/segacharts2.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 416px; height: 178px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/segacharts2.png" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Last week's highest Sega charter, <span style="font-style: italic;">Virtua Tennis 2009</span>, has dropped one place to #9. <span style="font-style: italic;">Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games</span> could finally be losing sales, as it has dropped a further four places to #21. Fast forward to next week and it'll be back in the Top 10!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Football Manager 2009</span> (which was voted 2nd best game <span style="font-style: italic;">ever</span> by <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/biggamesweekend/vote/">Radio One</a>...) has fallen one place to #29, and <span style="font-style: italic;">Sega Superstars Tennis</span> has dropped down to #33 from #26 last week. <span style="font-style: italic;">Mega Drive Ultimate Collection</span> has dropped out of the Top 40, after standing at #37 last week.<br /><br />Speaking of Radio One's list of best ever games, here are the Sega titles that made the Top 50:<br /><ul><li>#2: <span style="font-style: italic;">Football Manager 2009</span></li><li>#26: <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic the Hedgehog</span></li><li>#33: <span style="font-style: italic;">Sonic the Hedgehog 2</span></li><li>#37: <span style="font-style: italic;">Shenmue</span></li></ul>This list is totally unreliable, like most lists of this type, as most of the top games were released in the past year or two. Older games are almost completely disregarded, except for "default best games" such as <span style="font-style: italic;">Ocarina of Time</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">GoldenEye</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Super Mario 64</span>.<br /><br />Also, both <span style="font-style: italic;">Mario Kart</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Super Mario Kart</span> charted, when voters probably meant the same game. "Mario Kart" doesn't exist, and could apply to any game in the series!<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">More <a href="http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p/software/uk/latest/index_test.jsp&ct=110015">charts</a> next week. See last week's <a href="http://segatastic.blogspot.com/2009/06/uk-charts-week-ending-300509.html">here</a>.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-929520148762246643.post-73613600455887134812009-06-09T17:12:00.003+01:002009-06-09T17:44:26.180+01:00MadWorld gets its own range of t-shirtsIf you have been reading my blog over the past few months you may be familiar with Famitsu magazine's "Game T-Shirt Project". This involves popular, generally mature games being featured on t-shirts available to buy through the magazine.<br /><br />Sega's recent games have been a popular choice for the t-shirts, with <span style="font-style: italic;">Yakuza 3</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">428</span> having their own <a href="http://segatastic.blogspot.com/2009/03/famitsus-yakuza-3-t-shirts-in-detail.html">ranges</a>. Now it is <span style="font-style: italic;">MadWorld</span>'s turn, with other Platinum Games titles likely to receive the same treatment in the future.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/madworldtshirt1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 382px; height: 168px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/madworldtshirt1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The first design features the text "It's a mad, mad, mad, mad world", the last "mad" in capitals with some of the main characters inside. The colours used are the trademark <span style="font-style: italic;">Ma</span><span style="font-style: italic;">dWorld</span> "black, white and red all over".<br /><br />The next design is more simple: "MadWorld" is in all-caps, with one "D" finishing both words. There is a <span style="font-style: italic;">MadWorld</span> logo on the right arm.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/madworldtshirt2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 392px; height: 173px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/madworldtshirt2.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The next two designs feature the same "MadWorld" text, with "world" reversed to end on the same blood-stained "D". This t-shirt is available in white and grey.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/madworldtshirt3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 369px; height: 175px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/madworldtshirt3.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The next design is available in black and green, with Jack standing beside the text "Who can survive on the global stage? Give U: World Standard" with "Platinum Games - Sega" underneath. Don't "U" just love nonsensical Engrish?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/madworldtshirt4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 383px; height: 172px;" src="http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Pricey/SEGAtastic/madworldtshirt4.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The final design is in a comic book style with the logo at the top. On the back is the <span style="font-style: italic;">MadWorld</span> skull-and-crossbones icon.<br /><br />These t-shirts will probably cost around £30, and are only available in Japan. New designs come out nearly every month, so expect more Sega t-shirts soon!<br /><br />[Source: <a href="http://www.famitsu.com/blog/tshirt/1224541_1899.html">Famitsu</a>]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0