As with El Viento, I hadn’t heard of Sol-Deace before Retro-Bit’s reproduction of it was announced. However, it’s a good partner since, like El Viento, it was developed by Wolf Team.

Sol-Deace has something of a confusing history. It was originally released in Japan in 1990 on the Sharp X68000 where it was called Sol-Feace. It would then be ported to the Sega CD in 1991, but when it arrived on a Genesis/Mega Drive cartridge in 1992, it was named Sol-Deace. I don't know why the name changed, but the story uses Feace and Deace as surnames, which maybe they are. Weird words to me, so I'm not sure why they chose them. If I had to guess, I’d say the words probably sound cool to the Japanese ear. However, my only basis for that is the theory? that I have no other explanation.

We had it coming

Sol-Deace is a horizontal scrolling shoot-’em-up. Humankind created the AI GCS-WT in the 31st century, and, predictably, it backfired. It rightfully decided it was superior to humans (as if that was a high benchmark) and demanded their ?subjugation. Humans, not knowing what’s good for them, went to war with the GCS-WT and got their asses handed to them. Some of them retreated to Sirius where they went to work developing â€?and you can probably guess this part â€?a sing??le high-tech fighter to combat the AI. 

Listen, I’m not a scientist, an engineer, or a warmonger, but I’d think?? a computer virus would be more effective against an AI than a solitary space jet.

In any case, the Sol-Deace is piloted by Ship Navigator Eric and?? Weapons Comman??der Misao. Oo-la-la. Do you think they’re smooching in there? I bet they are.

The Sega CD version tells a different version of the story. Dr. Feace hacks into the GCS-WT and deletes “the data�from “the data bank,�which forces the AI into a recovery period and gives them an opening to ?attack with the Sol-Feace. You see? That’s what I was saying. I’m not sure why Dr. Deace didn’t think of that. Maybe that sort of logic doesn’t fit on a Genesis cartridge.

Top-of-the-line

Sol-Deace loses some cutscenes and audio fide??lity from the Sega CD version, but the game??s are the same.

It’s tempting to call Sol-Deace a boilerplate shoot-’em-up, but it does have a number of mechanics that make it unique. The core feature is th?e fighter’s stacked weaponry. While you start with the standard issue pea shoo?ter, you fly into upgrades that stick to the top and bottom of your ship, giving you three-tiered firepower.

What’s unique about this is that they can each be a different weapon, and you can change how they’re aligned. If you speed up without firing, the weapons open up, giving you an angled spread. If you slow down, you can close them again. You can also stagger their alignment so only the top or bottom is shooting at an angle, but I found that difficult to work out in the midst of battle. It’s a bit like the option system from Gradius, but it also gives you some control as to whether you’re focusing more on defense or offense. There are also moments where you can set your spread in a particular w??ay to take out multiple targets at once.

You’ll probably find these moments because Sol-Deace is a rather difficult shooter. I’ve found that a lot of console titles in the genre lean on limited continues to extend their runtime out of rental range. However, Sol-Deace doesn’t. Yo?u can try a level as many times as you’d like. That takes some real gut??s.

Put your hands together if you want to clap

You’ll need those continues. Sol-Deace isn’t a bullet hell shooter, but you’ll constantly be fitting your ship into small gaps, because there is always an unconscionable amount of things on screen. The variety of ene?mies is dizzying, but the developers also favored giant, rotat?ing sprites. The screen is almost constantly full, even at the expense of the framerate. ;

In fact, Wolf Team was so dedicated to jamming everything they could into the game, that everything seems to be fighting for the same sound channel as your ship’s weap?onry. The sound of your “pew-pew-pew�gets cut off constantly in favor of something else going on, leading to a sputtering noise. This happens in both the Sega CD and Genesis vers??ions.

On the other hand, they also managed to cram in some little details I thought were cool. If a smaller enemy gets up behind you, you can destroy them with your thrusters. You also don’t immediately die if you hit a wall??. Your ship will just bounc??e off it in a shower of sparks.

Speaking of the sounds, I could instantly tell Motoi Sakuraba was behind the soundtrack. How? He’s the only Genesis composer I know of who makes extensive use of a clap as a percussive noise. It stood out to me in El Viento, and you can hear that sample as early as the fir??st level. It’s charming in a retro kind of way.

Wi?th or without the clapping, the soundtrack is awesome. It helped ease the fact that I was trying the same levels repeatedly trying t?o make progress.

That may sound frustrating, but Sol-Deace manages to hit a pace that really makes you want to get better at the levels. You’re constantly learning from your mistakes and discovering new strategies to get by the road bumps you hit on the way to the boss. There’s a certain level of memorization required for each stage, and finally, toppling a boss feels earned. It’s satisfying to make progress in a way that I’m not sure I’ve ever felt in a shoot-’em-u?p.

What really matters

The Retro-Bit reproduction of Sol-Deace is once again a pretty lavish treatment. As with their other Genesis/Mega Drive reissues, it comes in a clamshell case with reversible cover art and an embossed slipcase. The cartridge is translucent black with little sparkles in it. It’s a pretty gr?eat way to play on original hardware with a bit of extra pizzazz.

Mostly, I appreciate their work bringing the work that companies like them do in bringing some of these games back from obscurity. Renovation-published games like Sol-Deace are also available through Antstream Arcade and Evercade?’s Renovation Collection, but for those of us who like to bond with games through physical contact, Retro-Bit does a good job of re-issuing them without making the??m feel like affectionate tributes rather than counterfeits.

In the last care package I got from Retro-Bit, it was the shoot-’em-up, Gley Lancer, that stood out to me most. With this set, it’s the shoot-’em-up again. Sol-Deace seemed a bit plain on the surface, but the more I played it, the more I began to love it. I really dig the confident challenge of it, and it has a number of small touches that make it shine. It isn’t quite as aesthetically impressive as Gley Lancer, but it? does have what really matters: the clapping.

For other retro titles you may have missed, click right here??!

The post Sol-Deace for Genesis pair??s space battles wi??th percussive clapping appeared first on Destructoid.

I'm a superstar at the cracker factory

Corpse Killer on the Sega 32X feels like the ultimate luxury game. You were already a rich kid if you owned Sega’s 32-bit Genesis/Mega Drive add-on, but to also have a Sega CD? Gosh, your parents must be pretty?? big wheels down at the cracker factory.

But those were the requirements for Corpse Killer on 32X. It was right there on the cover of the game: Sega CD 32X. You needed both of the system’s expensive attachments to play this super-deluxe version. Otherwise, you had to just buy the Sega CD version. Don’t get them confused! If you’re unsure, just ask the sleep-deprived clerk at K-Mart for the Sega 32X version of Corpse Killer. I’m sure they wouldn’t make that mistake.

So, wow, a game that requires two very expensive add-ons just to play. That must be one extra-special game, right? No, not at all. I was going to make a joke about how it’s “special�in the way a mother might use the word to explain to a relative how you can remember the names of 151 Pokemon, but can’t correctly spell Saskatchewan or remember its capital city. But even then, its brother, the Sega CD version, is just as “special.�So, I guess the only way that Corpse Killer on 32X is extra-special is in the way that it’s ?extra-special disappointing, because it’s an extra-specially pointless way to pla??y a bad game.

[caption id="attachment_391011" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Full-Motion Vomit

The era of FMV games was pretty embarrassing. We probably should have known by the rise and fall of the LaserDisc arcade games that this style of barely interactive movie games is better as a curiosity. However, I still sort of respect developer Digital Pictures for giving it their all. They were behind Night Trap and Ground Zero Texas, and while their videos were in the sub-bas??ement of B movies, they obviously had some effor?t behind them.

Released in 1994, Corpse Killer is a Digital Pictures game that maybe most resembles a video game. While it makes heavy use of live-action footage, it’s largely a shooting gallery. However, this isn’t in the same style that 1991’s Mad Dog McCree went with. While Mad Dog McCree just showed you a video and then judged if you pulled the trigger while your lightgun was pointed at the correct part of the screen, Corpse Killer has a slow pan of a background and then super-imposes people in the??ir pajamas wobbling across the screen.

In 1995, versions came out for the 3DO Interactive Mutliplayer and Sega Saturn platforms, and they seem to better capture what Digital Pictures was going for. Not only does the actual video portion of the game take up more of the screen, but the actors also look much clearer. Even with the bottomless power of the 32X, the actual zombies look like the film crew wandering in front of the green screen while it was being filmed with a Game Boy Camera. When you look at a better version and what they should look like, it all makes sense. But the versions of Corpse Killer that run on Genesis appe??ndages look rough?, to say the least.

[caption id="attachment_391012" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Powered by the Sega Slab

One of the things that drew me to Corpse Killer beyond having a use for my Sega monstrosity is its use of lightgun peripherals. However, for some reason, Digital Pictures only chose the Menacer and the “American Laser Games�Gamegun.�I own Konami Justifiers for my Genesis, which is fine, because I didn’t want t?o truck my Sega Stack into another room to plug it into a CRT. However, I did try it with a Sinden, and it didn’t like that. So, eventually, I gave up and just went with moving a cursor with the gamepad.

That sucks. It would probably be okay if the ??movement was smooth, but not only is the cursor choppy in the most ideal of conditions, but the game constantly hitches whenever the Sega CD has to seek anyth??ing on the disc.

[caption id="attachment_391013" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Must not accidentally type �i>Corpse Party�/h2>

However, a lack of lightgun is the least of Corpse Killer’s discomforts. The game, in general, just vociferously sucks. A lot of this comes down to the fact that the gameplay and the video exist in separate rooms. It doesn't explain many mechanics well, such as the difference between enem??y types.

Every so often, a mean-looking zombie or one that’s enveloped in the flashing lights of a rave wander on screen. Shooting the walking personification of a meth-infused party will cause it to die the same as any zombie, but sometimes it will hurt you, and other times it will kill everything on screen. The game tells you to shoot it when it’s glowing, but what the fuck does that mean? It’s always just a single flashing color. It is always glowing by ?my definition. However, it gets maybe, like, more saturated. That’s what it means, apparently. Shoot Captain LSD when he’s ?the most colorful.

And then there are the more mean-looking zombies who fly at you. They’re impervious to bullets, and the game doesn’t tell you why. It just lets them hurt you as your shots ricochet off. You need to use Datura-infused bullets on them because�Because. However, these bullets are always in limited supply, so you need to scrounge for more, and Corpse Killer does a poor job of telling you that these are required. And consider??ing you can only hurt bosses with these bullets, you’d better not waste them.

And you might. You have four different ammunition types, and you swap to them by hitting B. However, Corpse Killer doesn’t give you any convenient times to do this. You’re always being swarmed by zombies. You never know when these reaper guys will jump out, and to see what bullets you loaded, you have to take your eyes off the screen. It’s easier to remember that your Datura bullets require three press?es of the B button, then hope that the video hitching doesn’t interrupt a press. If you choose an ammo type that you weren’t intending, it will swap right back to regular rounds if there are no shots remaining.

This means that Corpse Killer requires you to observe an enemy that requires a special type of ammo, look away from the screen to ensure that you’re selecting the right ammo, then aim and fire within the two-or-so seconds you have before taking damage. It ?is absolutely ridiculous.

Oh, and if you’re using a lightgun, you need to shoo??t the tiny text at the bottom of the screen to select your ammunition. It? is not, in any way, a better choice.

[caption id="attachment_391014" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Plastic anatomy

Underlying this is a ca??mpy B-plot about a government cover-up. You play as some hapless jerk who parach??utes onto this zombie-infested island and is immediately bitten before getting saved by a stereotypical Rastafarian. Said Rastafarian, Winston, is played by Jeremiah Birkett, who I’m reasonably sure isn’t actually Rastafarian. He puts on a good performance, but you can tell he isn’t comfortable with the accent. Even if he was, half his dialogue is indecipherable beneath the act.

You’re there to stop an evil mastermind, Dr. Hellman, played by the late Vincent Schiavelli. He ha?ms it up as a mad scientist who has unlocked the secret of resurrecting the dead. You’re assisted by Bridget Butler as Julie, who is given absolutely the worst lines in the script. She’s a reporter who is trying to prove that the Pentagon was behind the zombie project, which is pretty obvious from your briefing material.

All in all, it’s bad, but in a way where Corpse Killer seems to know how bad it is. There’s the one scene that I’m a fan of wher??e Dr. Hellman has a little action figure rigged into a model electric chair. He pulls the switch to ??execute the action figure, and after a few seconds of blue lights and smoke effects, the toy is replaced by a little plastic skeleton. Genius.

[caption id="attachment_391017" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Double down on trash

If there’s one thing that Corpse Killer does well, it’s allowing you to move about the island on your own. If you abort during the initial raid on Hellman’s fortress, you can take on side missions, build up your supply, and prepare yourself for another raid. It would be a worthwhile addition to a gallery shooter if it was a better one than Corpse Killer.

Overall, though, Corpse Killer holds up as an awful curiosity. It’s really the fitting embodiment of kusoge (crap game in Japanese). It’s dopey and painful to play, but in an interesting way. That’s perhaps why Limited Run Games decided to re-release it. You can now get it on Switch, PC, and PS4 through Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition. This is thankfully not just a port of the Sega CD and 32X versions, so you can see what the enemies should look l??ike, but also it sadly loses that bit of trash appeal.

I don’t know why you’d want to play Corpse Killer with less trash. Corpse Killer is all ?trash, so you might as well double down o??n it.

For previous Weekly Kusoge, check this link!

The post Corpse Killer for Sega 32X is trash for rich kids appeared first on Destructoid.

Woe is me

The Coronavirus pandemic really did a number on the already out-of-control video game collector’s market. I always say that I used to buy retro games because I was poor, but now I’m too poor to buy retro games. I’ve got a lot of complai??nts about it. Don’t get me started.

There are exclusions. Did you know that the Sega Game Gear is both cheap and awesome to collect for? You just need to find someone to replace t??he exploded capacitors on a dead model, and bam, you’ve got yourself a welcoming library to dip into.

Then there are the systems that are a nightmare to collect for due to various reasons. Mostly price. It’s easy to point at systems like the Neo Geo AES that has a median price point north of $500 for a game, but have you considered getting a full MVS setup instead? Below is my list of the worst systems to collect?? for that are still worth owning. It’s hardly comprehensive, but something to?? keep in mind when you’re picking a library to focus effort on.

The prices here are pulled from pricecharting.com. As far as I know, we’re not even remotely affiliated with them, but they are a great resource to ensure you aren’t getting v?iciously ripped o?ff when you visit your game store of choice.

TurboGrafx 16

When the PC-Engine was first released in Japan, back in 1987, it became a huge hit as well as a major threat to Nintendo’s market dominance. However, when developer NEC brought it over to North America as the Turbografx-16, it was a massive dud for myriad? reasons.  When all was said and done, only about 94 games were ever released for ??the console before it was canned in the U.S. in 1994.

The list of games that average for less than $10 today is almost non-existent. At the time of writing, the median price is around $50. Prices for beloved games like Air Zonk are hovering around $150, while the mascot platformer, Bonk’s Adventure, is a steep $60. These prices are for loose cartridges; the ?games came in CD-like clamshell cases, so getting them complete with ca??se and instructions can raise prices significantly.

Let’s not even get started with the CD attachment, which pushes prices past all logic. It’s unfortunate because there are some great games in the librar?y and multiple console iterations to play them on, but the collector’s market prices make it a domain for the brave.

Nintendo Gamecube

While the median price for Gamecube games is a reasonable $12, let’s be real, you don’t just want any Gamecube games; you want the platform’s big hitters. Well, get ready to pony up. You can still get million-sellers like Super Mario Sunshine for $35 with a case and manual. However, that logic doesn’t hold true for titles like Super Smash Bros. Melee ($65) or F-Zero GX ($85). If you want some of my personal favorite titles like Chibi-Robo or Eternal Darkness, you’ll be ponying ??up something north of a hundo.

And that’s exactly what makes the G??amecube painful to collect for. There are games that are ubiquitous to the consol??e, and most of them cost at least as much now as they did when they were new.

Sega CD

It would be easy to argue that the Sega CD didn’t have that many games worth collecting, to begin with. Much of its library is populated with misguided FMV titles. But there are a few gems that would be must-haves if it wasn’t for the fact that you’ll be trading your car to get them. I’m talking about games like Snatcher ($1300) and Shining Force CD ($300, which seems like a steal when I put it next to Snatcher).

But the real reason that the Sega CD is awful to collect for is its games cases. Sega was obviously trying to appeal to the American consumer by packaging their games in these awkwardly large plastic clamshells. If that wasn’t bad enough, the plastic is both hard and br?ittle, meaning it would break before it bent. And oh-so-many of them broke, making them? even harder to find in decent condition.

Sega Saturn

The Sega Saturn is a mix of the Gamecube and the Sega CD’s problems. Want the most prominent games for the system? I guess Daytona USA is reasonable, but if you want The House of the Dead or Panzer Dragoon Saga, then you’re going to be shelling out.

Then they went and put the games in the same stupid cases they used for the Sega CD. The good news is that the two consoles�libraries can be set side-by-side on the same shelf. The bad news is that if that shelf collapses, then yo??u’ve got a lot of broken plastic to sort ?through.

Neo Geo Pocket Color

The Neo Geo Pocket Color was a great system that should have been a bigger contender to Nintendo's Game Boy. Unfortunately, it died a very early death. Only 31 games were released for the little handheld, and the cheapest today are just short of $20. To be fair, there are no four-digit monsters hiding among them. The shallow library ends up being a bit of a blessing from a collector’s standpoint since you can grab them all up without selling your house. But $80 for a loose copy of Shanghai Mini? Yeesh.

The post The five best consoles that are th??e worst to collect games for appeared first on Destructoid.

Who needs a volume slider?

Sega has opened European pre-orders on its upcoming retro hardware Sega Mega Drive II Mini �the dinky, old-school console can be ordered exclusively from retailer Amazon at a cost of £104.99  GBP / �04.99 EUR. The console is expected to ship ne?xt month on October 27.

The Sega Mega Drive II Mini comes bundled with one controller, an HDMI lead, and a USB power lead (it does not include an AC adaptor). The console itself is pre-loaded with 60 classic Sega Mega Drive and Sega Mega CD games, some of which will be making their Euro debut. Unfortunately, as predicted some of the obscurities that are included on the JPN edition of the hardware will not be making the jump overseas �but the console still boasts an impressive roster of hit releases... No Time Gal hurts.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCzXBAMVPWM

Sega has previously noted that it expects the total stock number of available units to be far, far smaller than those of its previous Sega Mega Drive Mini hardware, so be sure to get your pre-order locked in as soon as possible if you want in on some of that Quest for the Darkstar action.

Here are the 48 Mega Drive and? 12 Mega CD titles included with the EUR Sega Mega Drive II Mini.

Sega Mega Drive games

• After Burner II
• Alien Soldier
• Atomic Runner
• Bonanza Bros.
• ClayFighter
• Crusader of Centy
• Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf
• Earthworm Jim 2
• Elemental Master
• Fatal Fury 2
• Gain Ground
• Golden Axe II
• Granada
• Hellfire
• Herzog Zwei
• Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar
• Midnight Resistance
• OutRun
• OutRunners
• Phantasy Star II
• Populous
• Rainbow Islands
• Ranger-X
• Ristar
• Rolling Thunder 2
• Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi
• Shining Force II
• Shining in the Darkness
• Sonic 3D Blast
• Splatterhouse 2
• Streets of Rage 3
• Super Hang-On
• Super Street Fighter II The New Challengers
• The Ooze
• The Revenge of Shinobi
• ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron
• Truxton
• VectorMan 2
• Viewpoint
• Virtua Racing
• Warsong

Sega Mega CD games

• Ecco the Dolphin
• Ecco: The Tides of Time
• Final Fight CD
• Mansion of Hidden Souls
• Night Striker
• Night Trap
• Robo Aleste
• Sewer Shark
• Shining Force CD
• Silpheed
• Sonic The Hedgehog CD
• The Ninja Warriors

Bonus games

• Devi & Pii
• Fantasy Zone
• Space Harrier II (+Space Harrier)
• Spatter
• Star Mobile
• Super Locomotive
• VS Puyo Puyo Sun

The post Mega Drive ??II Mini pre?-orders open in Europe, Sega warn of low stock appeared first on Destructoid.

Ecco CD, Shin Megami Tensei, and more

Sega continues to tease the list of rarities and obscurities that will be bundled with its incoming retro hardware, the Sega Mega Drive Mini II. Following on from last month's stellar selection, today sees Sega announ?ce 11 more classic Sega Mega Drive and Sega Mega ??CD classics for the cute Mini II console.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLDQ6qtZUT0

Featured among the new batch of releases are Mega Drive releases Populous, Gain Ground, and the genre-defining RPG Phantasy Star II, as well as the more obscure Japanese adventures Tougi Ou: King Colossus and Socerian. Representing the Sega Mega CD, we have the ecological-themed remaster Ecco the Dolphin CD, medieval shmup Robo Aleste, and the first release in the beloved Shin Megami Tensei series. With titles such as these, the Sega Mega ??Drive II is shaping up to be a really refined collector's console.

The full list of revealed titles is as follows.

Sega Mega Drive Games:

• Gain Ground
• Phantasy Star II
• Populous
• Sorcerian
• Tougi Ou: King Colossus
• Viewpoint

Sega Mega CD Games:

• Ecco the Dolphin CD
• Robo Aleste
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms III
• Shin Megami Tensei
• Tenka Fubu: Eiyuu-tachi no Houkou

Sega has already confirmed that the hardware will receive a western release in the?? form of the Sega Genesis 2, which will be launching day and date alongside the Japanese edition this fall. While we can expect any of the above titles that received an English localization on release to be featured on the western edition of the console, it remains to be seen have the Japan-only titles will be handled.

The Sega Mega Driv???e II / Genesis 2 Mini launches worldwide October 27.

The post New batch of rarities and obs?curities revealed for ??Sega Mega Drive Mini II appeared first on Destructoid.

Street Fighter, Final Fight, and more

Sega has released the names of 10 more titles to be included on its upcoming retro hardware Sega Mega Drive II Mini. The 10 games are, as of this writing only confirmed for?? the JPN model of the dinky doohickey, whi?ch is reflected in the way that some of these titles were not released outside of Japan.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=e847P6Ynalk

Among the new titles listed are Capcom classics Super Street Fighter II and Final Fight CD, as well as legendary RPGs Lunar: The Silver Star and Lunar: Eternal Blue. Also in the mix is SNK's Fatal Fury 2, Treasure's Alien Soldier, and the bizarre tricycle-based arcade game Spatter. A particularly quirky addition is the Wondermega Collection, essentially a sampler disc that include?s several Sega Game Toshokan service ti?tles and four CD+G karaoke tracks. A neat little piece of Sega CD history.

The full list of revealed titles is as follows.

Sega Mega Drive Games:

• Aah! Harimanada
• Alien Soldier
• Fatal Fury 2
• Gyuwanburaa Jikochuushin Ha Katayama Masayuki no Majong Dojo
• Spatter
• Super Street Fighter II: The New Challengers
• Tatsujin

Sega Mega CD Titles

• Final Fight CD
• Lunar: Eternal Blue
• Lunar: The Silver Star
• Wondermega Collection

As you might have read on this here website, it has been confirmed that the hardware will receive a western release in the form of the Sega Genesis 2, which will be hitting the shelves day and date alongside the Japanese edition this fall. We can very likely expect any of the above titles that received an English localization back in the day, (Final Fight and Lunar: The Silver Star for example), to be featured on the western release, although offi??cial confirmation from Sega is still forthcoming.

The Sega Mega Drive II / Genesis 2 Mini la??unches October 27.

The post More titles announced for the J?apanese Sega Me??ga Drive II Mini appeared first on Destructoid.

The Mini 2 has more power, and includes some Sega CD titles

Sega's next mini retro console is also making its way to North America. The Sega Genesis Mini 2 will launch in North America on October 27, Sega ??confi?rms.

The Genesis Mini 2 is the follow-up to Sega's Genesis Mini, from 2019. Following in the footsteps of other mini classic consoles, like the NES and SNES Classic or PlayStation Classic, it packed a bunch of Genesis games ??into a single little console box.

The Genesis Mini 2 will have more power, ac??cording to Sega, and a library of 50 classic games previously unreleased on the Genesis Mini. This will also include some Sega CD?? titles, too.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPGTxSHKDFI

The console will come with the six??-button Control Pad as well. Controllers that rele?ased alongside the Sega Genesis Mini will still be compatible, too.

Sega's site has a current list of games for the c?onsole, which you can find below.

Sega Genesis Mini 2 games (as of July 13, 2022):

• Sonic CD
• Shining Force CD
• Silpheed
• Mansion of Hidden Souls
• Night Striker
• Ninja Warriors
• After Burner II
• OutRun
• OutRunners
• Virtua Racing
• Super Hang-On
• Sonic 3D Blast
• Shining in the Darkness
• VectorMan 2
• The Ooze
• Bonanza Bros.
• Alien Soldier
• Rainbow Islands -Extra-
• Splatterhouse 2
• Rolling Thunder 2
• Lightening Force
• Fantasy Zone
• Star Mobile

Full-motion classics

There are a few more games to make their way in to get that count over 50. But with Genesis and Sega CD games on the docket, just about anything's possible. Here's hoping we somehow get some Lunar games?? or wild FMV titles on thi??s classic console too.

The retro console is up for pre-order on Amazon right now, with a $103.80 price tag and a $21.99 shipping fee. It seems like the new Mini is an Amazon exclusive, so that looks to be the cost of the console.

The Sega Genesis Mini?? 2 arrives in North America on October 27, 2022.

The post Sega Genesis Mini 2 is coming to North America in?? Oct?ober appeared first on Destructoid.

THE CHOPPER'S WAITIN'...

Screaming Villains - the indie outfit behind Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition, Double Switch: 20th Anniversary Edition, and Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition - has revealed that the next FMV classic to be blessed with a remaster is 1993 shooter Ground Zero: Texas.

Developed for Sega CD by Digital Pictures, Ground Zero: Texas tasks the player with rooting out an alien invasion currently infiltrating the sleepy border town of El Cadron. Blending the FMV shooter gameplay of the American Laser Games series with the camera-switching, puzzle-solving shenanigans of Night Trap and Double Switch, Ground Zero: Texas is, ultimately, a fairly clumsy and poorly-pac??ed endeavor.

Still, nobody is buying these re-releases specifically for their stellar gameplay and Ground Zero: Texas retains the campy, nostalgic value expected from almost all games within the FMV genre. Screaming Villains is doing sound work by securing the history of this dubious era of gaming, when many studios would be quite happy to let these games vaporize into the ether. Ground Zero: Texas, in particular, looked utterly atrocious on Sega CD, so it will be fun to finally experience the live-actio?n footage in an "actually viewable" format.

As with previous Screaming Villains titles, Ground Zero: Texas - Nuclear Edition will be receiving a PS4 physical release through boutique outlet Limited Run Games. Pre-orders will go live on-site January 22, although no official release date has?? ??????????????????????????been announced.

Ground Zero: Texas - Nuclear Edition is in development for PS4 and PC.

The post Ground Zero: Texas is the latest ’90s FMV classic to receive a remaster appeared first on Destructoid.

Now we just need a movie adaptation with Keanu Reeves

Amidst all of the excitement and noise of new Xbox consoles, Final Fantasy remakes, co-op Avengers games and online subscription services, it's understandable that many people seem to be overlooking the best news of E3 so far: '90s FMV shooter Corpse Killer is getting remastered for PS4 and PC.

Originally released in 1994 for the Sega CD, 3DO and other deadbeat platforms, Corpse Killer was the next title in line from Digital Pictures, creators of previous FMV titles Night Trap, Sewer Shark and Double Switch, among others. Corpse Killer sees the player as a generic marine, dropped onto a mysterious tropical island that is slowly being overrun by the undead, not unlike Lucio Fulci's goreriffic classic Zombie Flesh Eaters.

Behind this grisly mayhem is crazy scientist Dr. Hellman (no, really), who is played by dearly departed character actor?? Vincent Schiavelli. Teaming up with a spunky reporter and a questionable rasta stereotype, players must track down and rescue a missing team of marines, whilst taking down the flaking dead and looking for a cure for the zombification process.

Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition is being remastered by Screaming Villains, the (originally) one-man team behind Night Trap: 30th Anniversary Edition and last year's Double Switch: 25th Anniversary Edition. These past release also cont??ained deleted scenes and a bevy of extras, so hopefully this will be the case her?e.

I'm legitimately stoked Screaming Villains is apparently on a mission to restore these terrible games for a new generation, surely Sewer Shark is next in line, right? Either way, Corpse Killer: 25th Anniversary Edition launches ??on PS4 and PC July 30, and will be getting a physica??l release via Limited Run Games.

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Stay away from that trap door, 'cos there's something down there

Screaming Villains, the small-scale studio that brought us Night Trap: 30th Anniversary Edition, has today launched its second remaster from the annals of terrible FMV video games. Double Switch: 25th Anniversary Edition, is available today on PS4 and PC.

Originally released by Night Trap-helmers Digital Pictures back in 1993, Double Switch isn't a straight sequel, but remains an incredibly similar title. Players once again switch between CCTV?? cameras and activate a series of hidden traps, this ti?me within the walls of an opulent apartment complex. Rumour states that ancient riches are hidden within the building, and so players must protect the occupants while capturing would-be thieves.

Double Switch attempts to have deeper gameplay than Night Trap, which is admirable, but ultimately results in far less forgiving - and far more confusing - gameplay. A bigger budget brings in stars like Debbie Harry, Corey Haim and R. Lee Emery, as well as better production values in costuming and sets. But this is definitely a release for those bound to a ridiculous, retro-istic FMV obsession - sigh - such as myself.

As with Screaming Villains' previous Night Trap remaster, Double Switch: 25th Anniversary Edition fea?tures a selection of deleted scenes, behind-the-sc?enes footage, and a selection of new HUDs and quality-of-life improvements.

Double Switch: 25th Anniversary Edition is available now on PS4 and PC.

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Renaissance continues for awful game

Limited Run Games and Screaming Villains has announced that notorious 1993 "classic" Night Trap will be getting ??a PS Vita relea??se in the near future.

Launching last year, conceived by one passionate visionary, Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition saw the controversial Mega CD title return on PS4 and PC, eventually being ported to t??he Nintendo Switch earlier this year. The FMV game sees players protecting a group of girls at a slumber party, and riled up a lot of governors for zero reason. But you know all this.

The PS Vita version will also be seeing a physical release via Limited Run Games. Pre-orders for this edition open on November 2 at 10:00 ET. At that time Limited Run will also be taking pre-orders for a physical edition of Double Switch for the PS4. Previous physical releases of Night Trap sold out pretty dang quickly, so move fast if you want a copy. T??here is currently no price listed.

Night Trap: 25th Anniversary Edition is available now on PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch and is coming soon to PS Vita. Double Switch launches on PS4 and PC December 11.

Friday, November 2nd is NEXT LEVEL Friday at //t.co/rZI6STrUid. Night Trap from @screamingvill makes a surprise appearance for the PlayStation Vita and Double Switch from @screamingvill and @flashfilmworks gets physical on the PlayStation 4!

WELCOME TO THE NEXT LEVEL! pic.twitter.com/i7zHsNJJaH

— Limited Run Games (@LimitedRunGames) October 26, 2018

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I love it

Screaming Villains is following its nostalgic Night Trap re-release with another over-the-top FMV adventure game from the Sega CD days. Double Switch: 25th Anniversary Edition is coming to PC and PlayStation 4 on December 11, and it is a sigh?t to behold in 2018. That's R. Lee Ermey up there!

For our younger readers, all you need to know is that live-action games centered around traps were a Thing in the '90s. I didn't really get the appeal back then, but?? there's a weird charm to this stuff now.

The basic premise: you control cameras and traps in a fancy apartment complex. Intruders and a masked killer are afoot. You have to deal with the baddies before they come after the tenants or mess with the building's power or phone lines. It's simple in theory, b?ut staying on top of everything can be a challenge, especially if you haven't gotten a lay of the land through (sadly necessary) trial and error.

For this 25th Anniversary Edition release, Double Switch is also getting a physical edition ?courtesy of Limited Run Games. I don't have any real affinity for this game, but the cover art is just delectable.

If you have a soft spot for Double Switch, physical pre-orders will open on November 2.

The well isn't dry yet, so I doubt this is the last we've seen of '90s FMV re-releases. Bring 'em? on??.

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Welcome to the next level

??Sick as a dog today but I had to take a moment to post this.

My buddy Ken Horowitz, author of Playing at th??e Next Level: A Histor??y of American Sega Games and owner of Sega fansite Sega-16 posted a video featuring a ROM made for Sega Genesis featuring the Sonic Mania intro animation in .bin format able to run natively on Sega Genesis hardware via flash cart. Currently there is no sound, but it shows off what Sonic Mania could have looked like if it were released on Sega CD b?ack in the day - which would have been an appropriate platform for the ?game. (Sega Saturn, doubly so.)

There is a forum thread where user matteus, homebrew developer of Genesis/Mega Drive games, sho?ws off his work. And the original video with more details about what is happening can be seen here.

The video is running at stunning 216 x 120 resolution with 15 whole colors to play with -- and ??how many colors does anyone realistically need? There is also a link to the ROM for anyone so inclined to play around with it.

Awesome stuff!

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'Over 1 1/2 hours of real video!'

The Night Trap re-release is going to be one of those late-night, boozed-up impulse purchases, I just know it. I knew it as soon as I saw the trailers for 25th Anniversary Edition. It's due out digitally for PlayStation 4 and Steam on August 15, with an Xbox One version arriving a little later.

It's all so wonderfully stupid. I love it! Well... maybe not love, but like. Definitely like.

For the full nostalgic effect, Limited Run Games is putting out physical copies of Night Trap, and they'll be available slightly ahead of the digital release. Both the $30 standard edition and the $55 collector's edition with a cassette tape and S.C.A.T. p??atch are going on sa??le at 10:00am Eastern on August 11.

As for the deleted scenes, Screaming Villains has a preview of that stuff right here.

Limited Run Games [Twitter]

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