Blue Phoenix: How Sega Won the War
- Thread starter Huehuecoyotl
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Huehuecoyotl
Monthly Donor
Yup, still hashing out the post about Mega Genesis games, but I'm expecting to have a busy week so it could be a hot minute.
Well your last post inspired me to draw something up: The Mega Genesis shell.
Huehuecoyotl
Monthly Donor
That’s cool! I’d love to see it when it’s ready. I had started a mock-up myself some time ago but left it unfinished. I envisioned it as looking rather like a bigger CDX with no LED display on the front plate, but I’m open to other ideas.
I could envision it as looking somewhat similar to a JVC X'Eye, but with some aesthetic changes to make it look like a Model 1 Genesis/Mega Drive. If Sega could bring the cost down, then 10-year-old me would be begging my parents for one come Christmas 1994 (good times -sigh-)
As for the alt-Saturn, I wonder what the launch library would look like. A Sonic title would be a must, probably a more polished version of Knuckles Chaotic while STI works on Sonic X-Treme (and hopefully give it less production troubles?)
As for the alt-Saturn, I wonder what the launch library would look like. A Sonic title would be a must, probably a more polished version of Knuckles Chaotic while STI works on Sonic X-Treme (and hopefully give it less production troubles?)
Yeah without infamous 32X and other things they could make a easier Xtreme/3D/Saturn. The rest is giving support and money and a goal. both Chris were so talented to misused as otl, specially Coffin
Well for ttl chaotix, what I feel could make the game better is to cut the stretchy ring teamup mechanic out and instead use the teamup combination of advance 3. Also, once you beat the game, sonic, tails, and amy are unlocked as playable characters.
Edit: Well its taken 4 separate revisions, but I got a mock up of the Mega Genesis.
https://sta.sh/01r7yoq3a65d
Edit: Well its taken 4 separate revisions, but I got a mock up of the Mega Genesis.
https://sta.sh/01r7yoq3a65d
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Huehuecoyotl
Monthly Donor
Hey, I missed this! That's a cool design. Four controller ports is a little too daring for Sega at this early date, I think, since IOTL the N64 was the first to sport this particular innovation. Otherwise, very slick. New update coming momentarily once I'm done formatting.
Update 3: Mega Genesis highlights
Huehuecoyotl
Monthly Donor
Sega Mega Genesis Highlights That You Should Play in 2018
from Dorkly, 6 November 2018
This week marks a quarter of a century since the North American release of the Sega Mega Genesis, the final (and some say definitive) member of the Genesis family of systems. Over its lifetime, from 1993 until 1998 when production of the console itself was finally halted, 4.8 million units had entered the market, of which 2.6 million were sold in the United States. Accordingly, Mega Genesis machines are not hard or expensive for modern collectors to find secondhand, and it remains popular among fans of Sega’s older consoles. Like any old CD-ROM console, disc drive failure is an occasional issue due to age, but since many of the mechanical parts in the drive (including the laser) could also be found in the Saturn, spares aren’t hard to find either. As well as being able to play any baseline Genesis or Sega CD game via its cartridge port and CD-ROM drive, the Mega Genesis had a number of titles designed only to run on its unique hardware, including a number of expanded ports of titles from other systems. Whether you’re a dedicated collector or just curious, here is a non-comprehensive list of some Mega Genesis titles that our staff think you should check out.from Dorkly, 6 November 2018
Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Complete and Definitive (Sega, Q2 1995)
The story of “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” and “Sonic & Knuckles” is well-known to any Sega fan worth their salt. Originally intended as a single game, time and space constraints forced its dev team to split it in two, utilizing then-novel “lock on” cartridge technology after the fact to have both games (or rather halves of the game) interface. Seemingly not content with this, Sega eventually released “Sonic the Hedgehog 3: Complete and Definitive” to finally unite the games as one in a single release. Among fans, the name is commonly abbreviated to “Sonic 3 CD”, which are, after all, the initials of the subtitle (which are helpfully highlighted on the box, showing that this was very much intentional on Sega’s part). The box also shows Sonic, Tails and Knuckles together in the open, facing the viewer in a jungle landscape over which Robotnik’s technology looms. As well as the full stories of both “Sonic 3” and “Knuckles”, the CD-ROM technology allowed the developers to insert more simple cutscenes and story elements, including, interestingly enough, some tie-ins with Little Planet from “Sonic the Hedgehog CD”. This includes a single time travel sequence between the “3” and “Knuckles” halves of the game, as well as an appearance from Amy Rose. These inclusions make sense given that a significant portion of the team involved with “Sonic 3 CD” was involved in that game as well. Along with a lot of the art elements (which definitely look very “Sonic CD”-esque in places), this leads many to treat “Sonic 3 CD” as a spiritual successor to “Sonic CD” as well, in a way uniting both of the “third” Sonic games. Just as the icing on the cake, since there was still room left on the CD, the dev team included a straight port of “Sonic 1” with Sonic, Tails and Knuckles all as playable characters. As these levels weren’t made with Tails’ or Knuckles’ abilities in mind, they tend to be broken hilariously by their presence, and so this port is much beloved by fans. By the time that its retail lifespan ended in 1998, “Sonic 3 CD” had cemented its place as the best-selling game on the Mega Genesis, and had sold around 3.1 million copies.
Jurassic Park: Isle of Terror (Sega Multimedia Studio, Q2 1994) [1]
One of the more thrilling entries in the Mega Genesis library can be found in “Jurassic Park: Isle of Terror”. The second Jurassic Park game produced by Sega after the original “Jurassic Park” on the Genesis, “Isle of Terror” was not only the first game developed wholly in the United States for the Mega Genesis, but the first such for the Sega CD (which saw a slightly pared-down port of its own). A first-person point and click adventure game, uncommon on home consoles at the time, “Isle of Terror” puts players in the shoes of an ex-soldier, part of a recovery team sent to Isla Nublar just after the events of the first movie. Quickly stranded, isolated, and hunted by the native dinosaurs, the player’s ultimate objective is to survive and escape. It is possible for the player to find journal pages and computer entries logging some of the unseen history behind the park, much of which is based directly on the original Michael Crichton novel rather than the movie continuity. A consistently dark and gloomy atmosphere pervades the game, the high sound quality available on CD-ROM allowing a fine ambient soundtrack and lush jungle sound effects to accompany the player’s journey. As a lighter addition, filmed segments by paleontologist Robert Bakker are unlockable to play from the main menu, explaining some of the science behind the film and game. The game would be rated MA-13 upon release, and relabeled T once the ESRB came into force late in 1994. Its cover portrays the subtitle underneath a yellow “Jurassic Park” logo instead of red, with a production still of a snarling Velociraptor in front of a dark forest silhouetted orange by a sunset. Consistently ranked among the best Jurassic Park games of all time (really behind only the ironically named “Operation: Genesis”), “Isle of Terror” was also well-liked by fans of the movie in its day, and would of course have some influence on the franchise going forward. A PC port was released in 1997 with better FMV quality. The Mega Genesis and Sega CD versions together had about 1.2 million lifetime sales.
Phantasy Star IV (Sega, Q3 1994)
The Mega Genesis re-release of “Phantasy Star IV”, available at the launch of the system for Japanese consumers and arriving on the American market almost a year later, is without a doubt the definitive version of the game. In the CD medium, the graphics and sound are much expanded from the cartridge-based original release, with the background sprites during the boss battles against the Profound Darkness and its creations wowing gamers of the time. Owing to the improved storage space, some new scenes and dialogue are included, focusing particularly on the characters of Alys and Rune. For many American Sega fans, however, who had not seen a Phantasy Star game since “Phantasy Star III” (which did not sell well in North America anyway), this was among the first JRPGs to fall into their hands, and would have significant effects for the reception of both the Phantasy Star series and the JRPG genre in general going forward. Critical reception for the Mega Genesis version of the game was generally improved over the original, with both the graphics and the battle system receiving significant praise. Retrospectives on the game have inflated its reputation further to that of a minor classic. “Phantasy Star IV” on the Genesis and Mega Genesis combined would see around 830,000 sales over its lifetime.
Ratchet and Bolt (Sega, Q4 1994) [2]
Coming from the 22nd century, the robot police duo Ratchet and Bolt, designed by the cunning Dr. Von Ion, would prove to be among the most iconic Sega characters to appear on the Mega Genesis. This family friendly take on the RoboCop formula put the player into a high-speed platforming and vehicle driving experience. Fighting across a futuristic cityscape, the robots had many appearances that they would transition through during their journey, stripping down from human-like android forms as they took damage into increasingly simpler robotic shapes. Numerous weapons were available for each of the crime-fighting duo, creating a massive number of different combinations to try while pursuing “public enemies” in large levels called “cases”. These and the transition from platforming to vehicle levels and back created a surprisingly deep platformer which stood out from the similar platformers of the post-Sonic “attitude” era in a big way. Although not a system seller, “Ratchet and Bolt” would become a cult classic. Designer Michael Latham pseudo-retired from game development after the completion of this project, stretched thin by other commitments at Sega, but the robotic duo would eventually return for a well-liked 2003 sequel. The original “Ratchet and Bolt” would end up selling 480,000 copies before disappearing from store shelves and back to the 22nd century after the 1997 holidays.
Castlevania: Cantata of Death (Konami, Q4 1995) [3]
Perhaps the biggest third-party title to land on the Mega Genesis was “Castlevania: Cantata of Death”. A direct sequel to the PC Engine CD game “Rondo of Blood”, “Cantata of Death” picks up five years after, again following the adventures of Richter Belmont and Maria Renard. They are joined by occasional antagonist Wilhelm von Blutheim, an adventurous German nobleman and self-proclaimed vampire hunter, in his first appearance in the series. When Dracula’s castle unexpectedly rises from the dark forests of Transylvania again far ahead of time, Richter and Maria return to stop the armies of darkness once again. They are interrupted on its very doorstep by Wilhelm, who attacks, accusing Richter of having turned over to the side of darkness and becoming a servant of Dracula. They fight, with Richter coming out on top, forcing Wilhelm to retreat into the castle, vowing to stop him. Puzzled, Maria and Richter nevertheless forge onward, fighting innumerable fiends and monsters within the risen castle. They also find numerous strong enemies slain by the rival vampire hunter Wilhelm, and even encounter him again several times. It becomes increasingly obvious as they go that the work of a familiar agent is behind the castle’s return, and they soon encounter Dracula’s servant, the dark priest Shaft, who appears to have survived his last encounter with Richter. On his way to put down the dark priest once and for all, Richter is forced to fight a frenzied copy of himself created by Shaft from the blood shed in their last battle, which had attacked Wilhelm previously, explaining his misapprehensions. Wilhelm is forced to acknowledge that he was mistaken and pledges to fight at the Belmont’s side from here on out. Though unable to resurrect his master again, Shaft does absorb a shard of Dracula’s power, becoming a fearsome half-vampire which Richter, Maria and Wilhelm fight together. Although Shaft is destroyed, and the castle quiet, the edifice does not crumble, leaving them at a loss. The game ends on an ambiguous note, insinuating that Dracula will soon return, and that Richter’s adventures will continue. Notably, this is the first main directorial role for a game from Koji Igarashi, who of course would go on to be a central figure in the “Castlevania” franchise going forward.
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[1] - This is a slightly divergent cousin to OTL’s “Jurassic Park” game for the Sega CD. Which, curiously, had nothing whatsoever to do with the game of the same name and with identical box art for the Genesis, which was just a side-scroller. TTL’s version is still a point-and-click, but a significantly darker and more atmospheric one than what we got. Ours is still good, though. I recommend checking it out.
[2] - “Ratchet and Bolt”, of course, was a canceled 32X title IOTL. Most of the games which we knew on our 32X, such as “Kolibri”, will find a home on the Mega Genesis, if they exist at all. “Doom” is there, of course, because it was on everything, ever. The graphics for these orphaned 32X games may not be as impressive as the ones we knew, but CD-quality sound might help make up for that.
[3] - Fan lore knows this as “Castlevania: The Bloodletting”, the canceled 32X Castlevania game. IGA says that this name’s attribution with the abandoned project is apocryphal, though, so we’ll acknowledge his expertise on the matter. The project IOTL got rolled into what became “Symphony of the Night”, so you might recognize a similar plot point or two described here.
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Thank you very much, everyone, for tolerating my tardiness! I work at an educational company and the US back-to-school season is very busy, so I haven't had the spare time or energy for much of anything. Our next update will cover most of what happens between the introduction of the Mega Genesis in the Holidays of 1993 until the lead-up to the Japanese launch of the Saturn and PlayStation. Stay tuned!
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The N64 was one of the earliest to add 4 controllers, but Sega did have a peripheral for 4 player co-op on the genesis. I assumed by the time NEC came on board, implementing the extra control ports made sense.
Huehuecoyotl
Monthly Donor
Sure, there were multitaps for just about every console at the time. The Genesis multitap works with the Mega Genesis since the controller ports are the same. Aside from Bomberman, I'm not sure if there are even many 4 player titles on the thing, though.
Update 4: The end of Saturn's hardware development and Japanese launch
Huehuecoyotl
Monthly Donor
History of the Sega Saturn
excerpts from various sections on segaretro.org, retrieved 18 August 2016
excerpts from various sections on segaretro.org, retrieved 18 August 2016
As the development of Saturn neared its final stages in early 1994, the console gaming landscape was changing, and some of its envisaged competitors already seemed set to be culled from the playing field. Although still a few years away from its ultimate demise, the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer had made little splash in Sega’s native Japan, and the three-dimensional capabilities of the Saturn were considered to be far in excess of what Panasonic had to offer. The Atari Jaguar had likewise not proved to be quite the 64-bit monster it was cracked up to be in its small American test market during this time. It seemed that for the first eighteen months of Saturn’s life at the very least, Sony’s imminent gaming platform would be Saturn’s sole true competition. This would prove to be both a blessing and a curse.
[...]
With the hardware finally completely crystallized, Saturn developer kits hit eastern and western shores alike in droves, finding their way into the hands of both Sega and NEC’s erstwhile collaborators in Japan, while Sega of America spread them far and wide among the many developers with whom they had forged strong relationships during the Genesis era. Initial reactions ranged from cautiously to enthusiastically positive, with Japanese developers leaning toward the latter, greatly pleased by the platform’s ability to replicate arcade-quality experiences. Western developers were initially more hesitant, having already seen comparable kits for Sony’s PlayStation begin to emerge. Initial impressions suggested that the 3D capabilities of the Saturn were not as highly evolved as those of the PlayStation, though in truth the situation was more complex than that. Still, impressions warmed over the coming months as developers became more at home with the programming environment of the Saturn, aided by competent support work by Sega of America. Trickling down from Sega of America, kits made it to Europe slightly later, to a likewise cautiously optimistic audience of new and old developers keen to be a part of the next stage of Sega’s evolution.
[...]
Meanwhile, Sega’s internal teams were hard at work bringing old and new IPs alike into readiness for Saturn’s opening salvo in the new console war. The newly formed Team Andromeda was hard at work on the foundational game of the “Panzer Dragoon” franchise, while other teams worked on conversions of Sega’s 32-bit arcade hits. Sonic the Hedgehog, of course, was on everybody’s minds, chief among them Yuji Naka, heading Sonic Team alongside Naoto Ohshima. Although Naka was keen to begin development on the game project that would eventually become “NiGHTS into Dreams”, the blue blur (as always) took precedence. “NiGHTS” would ultimately become one of the Saturn’s top titles of 1996, while “Sonic the Hedgehog 4” began to take shape in preparation for the console’s western launch.
[...]
As the console’s software library took shape, Sega’s army of marketing and logistical staff in all markets considered how best to package the 32-bit revolution for anxious Sega fans everywhere. Recognizing the convenient size and uniformity of the CD jewel case, Saturn games in Japan would ultimately come in this packaging with gold accents and a black/red logo. In North America, the idea of continuing with the acrylic cases used for Sega CD and Mega Genesis games was floated. However, with production of Mega Genesis games still ongoing, it was decided not to pursue a renewed production run of the cases, as Sega of America was sensitive to complaints from vendors and consumers alike about fragile and broken cases. Instead, it was decided that Sega of America would continue somewhat in the vein of the plastic cases of the Master System and Genesis, going with plastic longboxes. [1] Later life cycle Mega Genesis games would likewise be rolled over to these longboxes after the Saturn era began. The spine art and other accents on the Saturn box art would follow the example of previous systems, maintaining the light and dark striping of the Genesis (red), Sega CD (blue), and Mega Genesis (orange), this time in silver. The Saturn text used in branding would be given a slightly “friendlier” font than what Japanese consumers would see, with the blue ball and “S” logo front and center. [2] Sega of Europe would generally follow the same pattern as Sega of America, changing only the color of the box art’s background from silver to black. Although a set price for the system in the North American market was still a long way off, a retail price of ¥42,800 for Japan was announced in the summer of 1994, while competitor PlayStation soon announced its own price point of ¥39,800. [3]
[...]
The whole gaming world watched with interest as the fifth generation console war finally began in earnest, with the Saturn releasing in Japan on 22 November 1994 and the PlayStation on 3 December, two weeks later. Although one might expect a stronger performance from Sony’s inaugural console, considering its substantially lower price, the PlayStation was shadowed by supply trouble at its launch, shipping a bare 100,000 units while Sega easily crossed the 400,000 mark. Out of this number, it sold almost 200,000 on the first day, shattering records for the Japanese console market. [4] Although its seeming invincibility would not last far into the next year, the Saturn was, for a time, on top of the world, as Japanese gamers clamored to bring home the chief launch title “Virtua Fighter” and Western gamers desperately awaited their own turn.
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[1] - Basically, they’re identical to OTL’s PAL longboxes for Saturn games. Just a minor cosmetic change, but many an ATL retro collector in this timeline’s future will thank me for banishing this bugbear, I’m sure.
[2] - In other words, the box branding for the Saturn in North America is the same as ours. The only difference being the color change from OTL’s white to silver/gray.
[3] - This represents a slightly lower price for the Saturn at launch than OTL, but not to a significant degree. The Saturn will just never be cheaper than the PS1 during their respective lifespans; Sony’s pockets are too deep for that to happen either in this timeline or ours.
[4] - This is actually mostly unchanged from OTL, aside from a small increase in Saturn sales numbers because of the lower price. The popularity of “Virtua Fighter” allowed the Saturn to slaughter the PS1 during the opening weeks of this console war in real life. In fact, though it’s not often brought up, PlayStation only started to outpace the Saturn in hardware sales in early 1997, more than two years after the two consoles’ launch! While Sony Imagesoft had a foothold in America, Japanese gamers in 1994 still did not take them seriously as a developer/publisher. As I’m sure you know, however, Sony’s time will come.
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A sudden burst of resolve to write is always good for the spirit, no? Next time we'll cover the space from the start of 1995 to the very first E3. I'm looking forward to it!
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So am I, although my resolve is for another project I haven't forgotten this one.
Although now that I think about it, sonic 4 essentially has 9 months-1 year of development time. This has the potential to be a sonic boom level: rise of lyric disaster.
Videogames back there take less time than now but yeah...unless Sonic team and co took beyond full time..those poor guys. 1.5-2 years is better but 12-15 months is feasible too
Huehuecoyotl
Monthly Donor
When I say "early 1994" for when all this development is starting in the post, I mean around January/February, so since they're targeting a holiday 1995 release it's a little longer than a year in total time.
