Lost souls continue development for SEGA consoles

Image: Pier Solar and the Great Architects box art. Copyright WaterMelon Co.

SEGA ended development for their own systems years ago, switching their efforts to systems made by former competitors. That hasn’t stopped a die-hard group of loyalists from continuing work on the company’s legacy systems.

Incredibly, December of 2010 saw the release of a brand new RPG for the Mega Drive called Pier Solar and the Great Architects, developed by WaterMelon Co. The game’s release approximately doubles the number of RPGs available for the system. The game is available on whopping 64 megabit cartridges, and is the largest game ever made for its system. Pier Solar also takes advantage of the Mega-CD add-on for audio enhancement.

Somewhat less incredibly, Duranik is currently developing a new shmup (shoot ‘em up) for the Dreamcast called Sturmwind. The Dreamcast has continued to receive small doses of support since its official discontinuation in 2001.

SEGA preparing celebration for tired mascot’s birthday

Image: SEGA.

SEGA is promising a number of “projects” for 2011 in celebration of their beloved tolerated mascot, Sonic the Hedgehog. Oh yeah, and Puyo Puyo as well.

It’s not clear what these projects specifically entail. I personally predict a compilation re-release of the beloved 2D Sonic games, followed by a re-re-release of that disc celebrating the previous disc’s lukewarm reception later in the year.

Then again, judging by the image put out by SEGA to the left, the company that gave us Cream the Rabbit may be planning to finally box up old-school Sonic. Look at scrawny green-eyed Sonic, he’s got old 90s Sonic trapped inside a monitor. And what’s he planning to do with that molesting finger of third-dimensionality?

Expect more on this irrelevant relic of your childhood as 2011 unfolds.

Source: andriasang

Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Review

SEGA only wants the worst Sonic games for sale

Ahead of the Sonic 4, Sonic Colors, and Sonic Free Riders launches, SEGA has decided to pull some of the Blue Blur’s better titles.

SEGA’s Jurgen Post explains “any Sonic game with an average Metacritic has been de-listed.” That may sound like an effort to remove poorer Sonic titles from store shelves and avoid new fans picking up weaker efforts, but as any SEGA watcher can tell you, average-scoring Sonic games are the best the mascot has had to offer lately.

Using this strategy, SEGA has stopped selling Sonic Rush (which has a Metacritic score of 82) and Sonic Rush Adventure (Metacritic score of 78). Those are two of the best rated modern Sonic games. SEGA did not hesitate to release Sonic Adventure for XBLA in September, a title which currently has a 47 on Metacritic, and which will presumably stay there thanks to its less-than-average score.

[source]

The Dungeon: The Sonic Cycle