Mike Arcade

https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Sonic_the_Hedgehog_3/Concept_Art A Special Thanks to @WarTraveller for sharing this over on our Discord. The Knuckles concept art was recently revealed as an unlockable in Sonic Origins, showing where they started in making a Rival for Sonic, that wasn’t a robot in this case. The Earliest depiction of a Pre-Knuckles design was a Hedgehog, and funny enough in the design doc it’s said that Tails likes the Rival because he looks like Sonic. Which is a lot like what would end up with Shadow. By the time the Hedgehog design fell out, they have a sketch for a Black Cat, and a Mole! I guess the Sonic OVA had a good reason to see him as a Mole after all. Also, at one point Knuckles’ name could have been Stealth. There’s also an early design for Super Mecha Sonic as well. Lastly, in a more cleared up image from an MTV document, has an image of The Doomsday Zone. With Super Sonic fighting a Dragon! This, being a precursor to what would be Chaos in Sonic Adventure. It’s really interesting to see how Sonic 3 came to be, and I’m glad we finally got to see the designs for Knuckles before he became the Echidna we know him as today.

https://sega.jp/mdmini2/titlelist.html Okay, Round 3 everybody! Things are really ramping up with the Mega Drive Mini 2, and we got a LOT of good hits on this list of titles. For one, several titles that I thought were going to be on this Mini Console have been confirmed, though to be fair a bunch of them were no brainers. For one, we got Final Fight CD, I mean to be fair after Streets of Rage 2 on the last Mini, it makes sense to put this one in. Another obvious one, as to go with the 6-Button controller, is Super Street Fighter II. A classic no matter how you play it. We also got BOTH Lunar games, absolute favorites among Mega-CD titles, though many love the first one, I've always been more partial to Eternal Blue. Lastly, the Mini 2 is getting the Toaplan Arcade Classic Tatsujin (Truxton, as it's known internationally) and Fatal Fury 2, the latter of which is a pretty nice surprise. We then have several Japanese Only titles, such as a Mahjong game, one about Sumo Wrestlers (which does look kinda interesting), a Mega-CD Completion Title, and a New Mega Drive Port! This one being a title that's known internationally as Spatter. ...I'll be honest, while Spatter looks like a decent Arcade Game, and that it looks better than the original...gotta say I was pretty disappointed with this one. I'm all for Obscure Arcade Ports, but it's not particularly like Fantasy Zone or Star Mobile. Hopefully we'll have another New Port on the way for future reveals that could really blow us away. So, how do you think this Mini is looking so far, and what sort of games are you hoping for? Let me know and let's see about getting this discussion going. @ByTor, Prince of Ro’den @MoKat As those of you who are more familiar with Arcade Games from back in the day, what sort of New Genesis Ports would you like to see? I've got a few I'd like to speculate and share (along with some Japanese PC ones), but I'd like to hear from either of you first.

https://sega.jp/genesismini2/ It’s official! The Genesis Mini 2 has been confirmed! Not to mention almost half the titles for the console, including sleeper hits like Vectorman 2 and The Ooze! We also got Sonic 3D Blast, because it can’t be Sega without Sonic. Looks like we got a really sweet deal outside of Japan, because we got Rolling Thunder 2 rather than the more obscure puzzler on the Mega Drive Mini 2. Also, Shining in the Darkness, which I think was in the first one, but never used on the Mini 1. We even got Alien Soldier, which was exclusive on the Mini 1 in Korea and Asia territories! Only thing that’s not great is it’s Amazon exclusivity, which I really hope doesn’t lead to massive shortages like the TG-16 Mini. Hopefully that doesn’t happen with Sega under the helm. Otherwise, this is turning out to be an excellent Mini Console!

https://shmuplations.com/archive/ Here's a real piece of gaming history! It's a bunch of translations of interviews, majority of which are from Japan, about several games from Final Fantasy VII to more obscure games like Alien Soldier. They do is great stuff and provide insight on games that may seem simple on the surface, but are anything but. Check it out whenever you can.

@SonicSatamX93 Thank you for the Response dude, glad to read your thoughts on the matter. I think your on point regarding the Robotnik/Naugus alliance, though I've always questioned if Naugus in SatAM would really want to rule the world. But really anything that we know as to why they teamed up is a mystery for the ages. Got another one, thanks to @TheRedStranger. In Hooked on Sonics, Antoine managed to actually do something useful and reckless, that being he almost caught Robotnik! So here's one... If Robotnik didn't have his Jet Boots, do you think Antoine would have succeeded in capturing Robotnik? Would he have failed anyway? Would he end up Roboticized?

https://stardropsmh.github.io/sonic-and-the-fallen-star/ Haven't updated this in awhile, but a new and complete Fan Game has recently made headlines. Very much inspired by Lake Feperd's Before and After the Sequel, if you need some new classic gameplay then this is very much what you are looking for. It's been awhile since I've seen a complete fan game, so give it a download and check it out!

A day after release and we already got the original tracks added in. XP

It is awesome, had it pre-ordered on Steam and it's excellent! Definitely worth getting, also you gotta beat Story Mode to Unlock Casey, which isn't too much of a challenge. All the Characters are really well balanced and it's one of the best games of the year. Certainly one of the best Beat em ups I've ever played, right up there with Streets of Rage 4.

This happened about a Month Ago, but Marble Madness II, after over 20 Years of only being in the hands of a few Arcade Board Collectors, has FINALLY been released out there to the public. You can even play it now on MAME! This is great news for gaming preservation, and while it's not anything completely world shattering, it's nice to finally being able to play it. In other news, we got 10 More Games revealed for the Mega Drive Mini 2! We got some expected games, like the Genesis Port of Outrun, as well as After Burner II. Both of which are decent ports, though the scrolling for Outrun is pretty choppy. We also got Columns III and Splatterhouse II, both of which are excellent games so no complaints here. We do have a few obscure in the west, Japan Only games like Megapanel (looks like a fun Puzzler), Puzzle & Action (which does not have an English release on the Genesis), and Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water (which DOES have a Fan Translation Online, I heard it's a good game. Also, it's based off of a Gainax Anime). The pickings for Mega-CD games are StarBlade, the Arcade Classic from Namco which did come out internationally for the Sega-CD. Joining it are two Japan Only ports, that being Night Striker, an awesome Rail Shooter with a Flying Car, and The Ninja Warriors, a port of the Classic Arcade game with some of that Funky Taito Music. I'm actually happy both games made it to this collection, and if we get an International Release for a Genesis Mini 2, I could see Taito's ports being left in as both games are mainly in English. Last, but certainly not least, is a game obscure even for me! Star Mobile, a Puzzle Game for the Sharp X68000, apparently had a Mega Drive port which went unreleased...until now! Heck, it was never even found and dumped online, making it the first time it's MD Port has ever seen the light of day. I have no experience with the game myself, but it's certainly made me curious now to try out the original. What other secrets does this Mini Console have in store? And what will a Genesis Mini 2 look like? Are there any other X68000 or Arcade Ports we could see? Let us know what you think.

So Origins has been out for a few days! Anyone got tales on how it is so far? I've heard some rather mixed reception on it myself, especially from the Devs of the Retro Engine Ports of the games (Team Headcannon), who I must point out are NOT the Developers of Sonic Origins as a collection who developed it in-house at SEGA. But there are a good amount of positives to this Collection. For one, the new animated cutscenes and basically required Mission Mode, where you complete certain conditions in snippets of levels. A Story Mode where you Marathon All 4 (technically 5) Games as Sonic with New Animated Cutscenes like those of Mania and Mania Adventures. And of course the Gallery which DOES included never before seen artwork, both old and new. Actually, one of which was some artwork of the Manga Sonic/Nicky Parlorzer Series! Which I'm surprised they actually put in such a collection. There's another I saw from reviews where Sonic had clothes AND never before seen characters (A Raccoon and some sort of Bear)! Even a snip of Sonic CD that gives an idea on what the Lost R2 Stage could have been like. Lastly, the appeal of having S3&K on the Retro Engine finally being released is a major appeal, it's even got some really cool details during the transition from Launch Base to Mushroom Hill, and a New Blue Spheres Mode with Spheres from Mania! It seems like it's an idea collection, but there's a lot of choices and such that hold it back for me. For one, the whole Music Situation. Now I need to be clear, I completely understand why certain Sonic 3 Tracks were changed, due to Michael Jackson (or rather, his Team like Bill Buxer and co.) working on some music that for some reason are in a weird copyright limbo. I can't fault the tracks being replaced because of that, what I can put at fault is which versions of the tracks that were put on. You see, they could have easily put in say the Sonic 3 Beta versions of the tracks, but they instead went with the MIDI versions of the tracks from S&K Collection. Now you may think that they would have made new mixes for the track, but no. At least I don't think so, as I listened to the tracks for comparison I they sound a LOT like the MIDI versions. Which is a major bane regarding Carnival Night's Music, and just makes the music inconsistent due to either poor choices, laziness, or both. We DO however have a brand new mix for the Super Theme, which is not based on the Unused Beta Theme, and instead is from Jun Senoue...in the vein of Sonic 4... I don't know what sort of Synthesizer he uses, all I know is that he should either never use it again, or trash whatever he uses. If I could somewhat spin a positive on that Super Theme, it is slightly better than just listening to an endless 15 second invincibility loop, although why there is STILL no option to turn off the Super Theme in these games I will never know. My main problem with Origins is Technical Quality of Life issues that aren't in the game. Like the lack of option to turn off the Super Music, or to disable the Drop Dash. Maybe I don't want the Insta-Shield in Sonic 3 and only want to use the Drop Dash, OR maybe I want the Classic Shield along the Elemental Ones in S3&K. Maybe I want to use the Spin Dash from CD, and use the Peel-Out in other Sonic Games? I've seen so many cool tweaks and such from the Retro Engine Dissembler Projects, yet none of which are in Sonic Origins. If there are any sort of QoL changes that were not in the Original Retro Engine Releases of Sonic 1, 2, and CD please let me know. The biggest lack of content for me, and why I have not bought Sonic Origins, is that Knuckles is NOT playable in Sonic CD. Which really makes no sense to me at all. Would it really have been too much to make a few more sprites for Knuckles and put him in? I just find it far too egregious and a major lack of foresight, and while some may find it a small nitpick, it could have provided a major boost in sales for the collection. It could have been a major selling point for fans, and it's a darn shame this wasn't done. A minor nitpick however would be that you can't have widescreen in Classic Mode (Having Lives and Game Overs), or Anniversary Mode in the 4:3 Scale of the Original Games. It's not like they put in the original ROMs for Classic Mode or anything like that, I just find it strange such options are limited in screen resolution. I will say that having Anniversary Mode, where you have Infinite Lives, is a major appeal to get the game for a more Casual Audience and to get younger players into the series without being stomped on. I actually applaud that this mode was put in, and to give players some replay value in replacing Lives with Coins. Which I find it funny to have Coins in a Sonic Games, due to some people not familiar with the series calling Rings Coins. XD The Pricing of the Game is also a not great, especially with the DLC packs amounting to stuff that should really just be in the base game by default. I Blame Sega as a Publisher for doing this, over the Devs of Origins themselves. So, where do I stand with Sonic Origins? I'd say don't get it...yet. Maybe on Sale, as it is now sadly the only version of these games you can get due to the delisting of previous digital releases last month. Something I have a major distain for, it's almost as bad as what happened with GTA, but to a slightly lesser extent. However, if you have little ones who have never played a Sonic Game before? I can see the appeal of getting it for them, and this is a pretty decent collection for a General Audience. There are a lot of cool, little things for the die hard Sonic Fans in Origins, but not as much as there could be. I guess you could count this as a Review maybe? But if any of you have differing views on Origins please let me know.

Are we gonna get a Mini Golf Mini game? 😄

A great video showing why STC Sonic is one of the best Sonics out there, brings up a lot of good points.

We got a new preview for Origins as it comes out next week. I think it’s a neat package overall from what I’ve seen. Although the never before seen content is quite tempting. Whenever I get it, I know I can breeze through this collection easy. XP

I’m bringing this topic back! And with recent news on there still being a lack of Freedom Fighters, I ask you this… How would you bring in the Freedom Fighters in the Sega Games?

I didn’t expect to hear about Fallout 5 for a long time anyway. I’d estimate at this rate to see the 5th entry in about 10 years from now? If that.

Maybe? I'm hearing constant fluctuations on how good the game is, Frontiers has literally become a Schrodinger's Cat, we'll only know when it comes out at this point.

Yeah several games from the last Arcade Stadium like 1944 and Progear had never gotten a re-release so there's that. Capcom is smart enough to as least do that. Only problem with this series of completions is it's lack of Online Play (there's High Score and Time Ranking, but still). Hence why I say Casual. If you want to say play Cyberbots online, either get the upcoming Capcom Fighting Collection, or set up Fightcade 2 with a ROM. At least the Former is a legal way to do so for those that want to do that, and to support the company.

Capcom has another Arcade Stadium Collection in the works! With the success of the previous one, it only made sense to see another as well (Capcom DOES have a ton of Arcade Games after all). Noticeable games include Black Tiger (an old side scroller), Street Fighter (The Original! But it's not a great game), 1943 Kai, Eco Fighters, Saturday Night Slam Masters, and both Mega Man Arcade Games. The only oddity among this collection is that, there are a lot of repeats from collections that came out at least around 5 Years Ago (Like Street Fighter Alpha 2 and 3). Even some of these games are getting a recent re-release with the Capcom Fighting Collection (Darkstalkers, Hyper Street Fighter II). I just find it bizarre is all, but perhaps these different collections are meant to cater to different audiences. Arcade Stadium is for Casual Fans, with Fighting Collection those that are into Fighters in general. Either way, one or the other (maybe both) could suit your needs this Summer.

Just a follow up video from one of my favorite youtubers that look into Fighting Games. But that's not what I want to share... We're getting a Fighting Collection from Capcom! The entire Darkstalkers Series from the Arcade (including Japan Only version of Vampire Saviors/Darkstalkers 3), alongside other oddballs like Cyberbots, Pocket Fighter (using it's shorter name), Puzzle Fighter (not a fighter, but hey it's a fun game), Hyper Street Fighter II (after it's exclusion from the previous Street Fighter Collection), and last but not least, for the first time ever... The First CPS3 Arcade Game, Red Earth! A Fantasy Fighter/Boss Rush game with cool characters and a level up system like an RPG. Simply put, Just for Darkstalkers and HSFII alone it's an excellent looking title. Best of all, EVERY GAME gets Online Play, with the currently best Netcode around including Ranking. I'd highly recommend getting this when you can, on sale for those who don't normally play these games.

While fan reception has certainly been mixed, apparently critic reception has been quite high, unusually high for that matter. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Because this is the most bizarre reaction to a Sonic Game I've seen...probably ever.

With the upcoming title Sonic Origins at the end of the month, I must note that it's been confirmed that those certain "Michael Jackson" tracks will NOT be in S3&K's Port for Origins. Technically, they aren't really MJ's tracks per say, but popular consensus calls them that (Specifically, those of Carnival Night, Ice Cap, and Launch Base for example, along with other jingles). Apparently Jun Senoue is gonna remaster tracks to replace them though it's currently unknown what that entitles. My best estimation on that matter is that those tracks as seen in Sonic 3's Beta, as well as the S&K Collection for PC, will be those that replace the Genesis Tracks. So we'll get finished tracks compared to the Beta and Midi versions. While I'm interested to see how that turns out (if it's true, which is very possible), it still sucks that those in the Final Release won't come back. But for those who play it on PC, at least it's not hard to see upcoming mods that'll rectify that. XP I find it odd that after all this time those legal issues regarding the Tracks has yet to be solved, or if it was just cheaper to remaster the older tracks for this collection. Apparently this may not effect future re-releases if they are emulated due to how copyright works, but don't quote me on that one. Thoughts anyone?

No Way Home was pretty neat, but Dr. Strange 2 was…not great, putting it lightly. Also saw Morbius, which was ehh. I’m burnt out on this current era of Super Hero Live-Action films, with Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and the new Thor coming out I’m just done with Marvel entirely. I can’t be bothered to care anymore.

Though not announced yet internationally, a Mega Drive Mini 2 has officially been announced! Now with Sega CD games included with over 50 titles! Including a brand new Mega Drive Port of the Original Fantasy Zone. ….and no, I won’t be making an insane review like last time. XP I’ve been meaning for months to do a post asking if you guys would like a Genesis Mini Sequel and what games what you’d want, but now it’s official!

So we got a gameplay preview! And…it’s probably the most underwhelming preview of all time. No combat, just running around. It looks nice, but the top trending comment so far is “It looks like a tech demo.” They really needed to show more. Hopefully they do, because the teaser was better.