IDW Publishing and SEGA announced at San Diego Comic-Con Thursday that they will be publishing a one-shot prequel issue of Team Sonic Racing this October. They didn’t release a lot of details about the plot, other than Sonic and the gang will be racing against time to stop an “old foe” from obtaining a powerful new technology necessary to threaten the planet they’re racing on.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles writer Caleb Goellner will be penning the story, whilst Adam Bryce Thomas will be illustrating this action-packed race.

I’m so stoked to write Sonic! It’s been a dream of mine ever since my dad surprised me with my first Sonic comic in ’92, so I can’t wait for fans to take this issue for a Spin  Dash.

– Caleb Goellner, in a press statement by IDW

Check out Bryce Thomas’s smooth cover art of Sonic and Shadow gunning for first place below.

In other Sonic comic news, Whisper the Wolf will be howling and clawing at Eggman with Sonic and Co. in issue #8 of IDW Sonic. Designed by none other than Evan Stanley, Whisper carries a variable Wispon that can change powers. She’s been described as a “guardian angel.”

SEGA began crowdfunding for the Sonic Toaster on its online store since E3 last month, asking for 1000 pre-orders before July 12. Now, three days before the deadline, pre-orders have surpassed the threshold, selling 1087–and counting–of the limited edition toaster. This fast-blazing appliance costs $35 and will ship out to your kitchen October 1.

Please note that Sonic’s face will be burnt on one side of the bread, whilst the other side will be brown and crispy just like any regular toast.

no, it only has sonic's face and on the other side it's toasted completely pic.twitter.com/lpug2bt8Vo

— Sonisis (@OnniManga) July 9, 2018

If you don’t know, Jet Grind Radio‘s online features allowed you to get game hints and tips, compete in online leader boards, and (excitingly) upload and download custom graffiti tags.

Yes, this means that users can once again create their own tag, using the game’s tag-editor and upload it to web. Or, if you’re terrible at art (like me), you can browse other users’ custom tags and download them, giving your graffiti a bit more flair!

But there is a downside for those in PAL regions, the game is currently not online… just yet. It’s been said that Jial is working on the PAL version, but so far the online functions have only been restored for the US version of the game, Jet Grind Radio. So owners of Jet Set Radio (the Japanese/PAL version of the game) will have to wait just a little longer for online functions to return.

You can read more on the story over at DreamcastLive.

Well, OrionSoft has launched a Kickstarter, not for a new game, but for the ‘Retro Game Designer’ – a piece of software that he has been working that will allow YOU to make your own games for the Mega Drive/Genesis, Dreamcast, Jaguar or PS1!

The good news is that, he’s promising the Retro Game Designer won’t require any coding knowledge, so anyone should be able to create their own games.

Now, admittedly, this idea isn’t totally new; there’s plenty of PC-based software out there that allows you to create your own games. But those software packages rarely allow development for console, and if they do it’s usually for modern platforms. This will be one of the few that caters for specific retro consoles.

The basic packages/tiers are aimed at people who want to dabble in game design, but not sell their wares. While the higher priced tiers (going up to 500Euros) will be for professionals and you’ll be free to sell your game made with the software.

By the looks of it, Orion is aiming to use stretch goals to help advance the creation of different game engines. He’s hoping, with full funding, to be able to include engines for: 2D Platformers, Point ‘N Click Adventures, Scrolling Shoot ‘Em Ups and RPGs.

This is definitely another Kickstarter project, I’ll be backing. If it’s successful, hopefully we’ll see plenty more games coming to the Mega Drive and Dreamcast for years to come!

Check out the Kickstarter project, here.

Sam Dyer, founder and graphic designer of Bitmap Books, is working very closely with SEGA to help bring it to life. This will make it the first “official” compendium in the company’s history.

The Kickstarter will begin on May 7th.

Source: ComicBook

What’s really exciting is that the game will be using the same engine as Overbound Games’ absolutely brilliant Sonic fan-game, Sonic Time Twisted – which you can check out more of in our 30min play video, here.

And ‘Sonic Triple Trouble 16-bit’ looks like it’s going to be just as good as Time Twisted, so I’m definitely excited for it. Noah has also given a brief overview of some of the game’s features:

• All levels from Sonic Triple Trouble faithfully recreated in 16-Bit Style!
• Accurate 360 Sonic Physics!
• Play as Sonic and Tails!
• Gamepad Support!
• New mixes of Triple Trouble Songs by Noah Copeland!

There’s currently no release date given, but Noah has stated in the trailer description: “This is a fan game you can expect to be completed… soon!”

If you want to know more about the game, including updates, you can do so by:

• Following @NoahCopeland on Twitter
• Visiting the GameJolt Sonic Triple Trouble 16-Bit Remake Page, here.

On a personal note, I used to love Sonic Triple Trouble, when I first played it on my Game Gear back in the day. However, playing it more recently, the game does feel rather ‘janky’ compared to other Sonic titles of the era. So the chance to play it in a smoother, more detailed 16-bit version sounds awesome to me!

“It would be an add on, as it you would be able to add it to your reward, by increasing the pledge for an extra amount! If we reach it, we would give instructions on how to do it etc.”

So yeah, it will cost you extra to get the Dreamcast version, when/if the stretch is reached. However, Piko has also confirmed that it would consider a separate goal for a Dreamcast version, but only if the stretch goal is either close, or reached. Right now it’s too early for them to do that:

“If we somehow are very close to the 200K mark, and there is still several days to go, we’ll add a Dreamcast reward tier for people that only want the dreamcast version.

“At this time, we are so far away that it would be not be a good idea to add that option.”

Alternatively, depending on community response, they might look into doing a separate Dreamcast Kickstarter – but that would be entirely on community response and demand, so there’s a chance that if this stretch goal doesn’t come close, they may not bother with that option:

“However, we may consider running a follow up KS only for the Dreamcast version after this one is done. Depending on the community response.”

[Original Post] I’m sure many of you retro gaming fans have been aware that the N64 3D platformer, 40 Winks, recently got a chance at finally being released – some 19 years after it was originally meant to come out on the system.

The game was originally released on the PS1 back in the day, with an N64 version planned, coded and… cancelled when its publisher, GT Interactive, went under. GT Interactive was bought out by Infogrames, but they, for whatever reason, decided not to released the N64 version of the game.

Roll on 19 years and Piko Interactive (a developer specialising in new games for old systems) acquired the license and original code for the game, and launched the Kickstarter. It has been going on for some 15 days and has already smashed its original goal of $20,000 (£14,329), meaning the N64 will finally be seeing this lost title. But why is this news to SEGA Nerds everywhere?

Well, when the Kickstarter launched, the hidden stretch goals for the project were leaked, indicating that a Dreamcast version could be on the cards. At the time, we didn’t report on it, as it was speculation and not an official confirmation from Piko Interactive. But, a couple of days ago (sorry for the delay in reporting), Piko Interactive updated the Kickstarter page to reveal their 3rd and 4th tier stretch goals, with the final tier being a Dreamcast version of the game! (Woo!)

The downside is that the stretch goal has been set to $200,000 for the Dreamcast version, which is 10 times higher than the original N64 goal. However, this is understandable, as the team already had the code for the N64 version and the funding was to help with production of the N64’s costly cartridges among other things, while the Dreamcast version will need to be coded natively for SEGA’s system (which costs a lot more money).

The good news is that the campaign is about halfway through its lifecycle (15 days remaining), but it is also just over halfway funded ($108,000) to achieving that $200,000 stretch goal – so it is wholly possible for them to hit this goal.

So, if you fancy playing a new/old 3D platformer for the Dreamcast, you might want to hop on and back this project.

You will notice there is not a specific ‘Dreamcast Pledge’, but that’s because the team has said that the Dreamcast game will be “an add-on for backers” which I believe means that if you back any of the N64 cartridge versions, you should also receive (or get the choice to receive) the Dreamcast version as well (I’ve asked for confirmation on this). [Update] Piko has confirmed: “It would be an add on, as it you would be able to add it to your reward, by increasing the pledge for an extra amount! If we reach it, we would give instructions on how to do it etc.” (see top of post for full update).

Skunk brothers Rough and Tumble are the first set of new villains to be introduced in the new series, and they’ve got tougher skin and ruffled fur compared to their coiffed Archie Sonic counterpart, Geoffrey “Lord Baelish” St. John.

In an interview with Kotaku, David Marriotte, associate editor at IDW, said that Rough and Tumble are “independent agents, and more bullies than masterminds, but they’re tough enough to maybe become someone’s henchmen down the line.”

Mariotte also spoke about the creative process involving new characters like these rancid bad boys and Tangle the Lemur, whom IDW introduced last month.

Ian [Flynn is] pretty much able to come up with folks on the fly and any major characters we run by Sega for approval. There are a few stages, from Ian’s initial paragraph or two description of the character, to getting someone like Tyson Heese to draw up designs and turnarounds for Sega to see the character, to having a final design and solidifying their personality in the script.

In the initial sketches, Rough and Tumble looked frightening enough to give national park rangers skunknophobia and quit their jobs. The final approved sketches portrayed them as garden-variety teenage delinquents.

IDW’s first issue of Sonic the Hedgehog hits stores April 4th. Pre-order now at a comic book store near you!

Source: Kotaku

For those who aren’t sure what a Dreamcast VS Link Cable is, it was a cable originally released by SEGA to allow two Dreamcast consoles together via the serial port for multiplayer on dual screens. A bit like networking two PCs together for multiplayer back in the day.

But only a handful of games were ever made compatible with the VS Link Cable, namely: Ferrari 355 (available worldwide) and the Japanese-only Aero Dancing F, Aero Dancing I, Sega Tetris, and Virtual-On: Oratario Tangram.

Now, I’m sure some of you might be thinking that $40 for a cable that only supports five games is a lot of money, and I guess it is. But for avid Dreamcast gamers/collectors it’s a bargain, as official/original Dreamcast VS Link Cables can go for upwards of $200 these days!

Just to note: DreamcastLive is a small site and the store isn’t setup like most major online retailers, it’s a little old school and to place an order, you need to email Pcwzrd: pcwzrd13@dreamcastlive.net. But don’t worry, several members of the team at SEGA Nerds (myself included) and others in the Dreamcast community have used the store before and (so far at least) we’ve all had good experiences.

Their latest album released this week, and it is pretty fantastic. Most of the album consists of classic Genesis shooters such as Thunder Force IV, After Burner, and more.

You can listen to it on Spotify, Bandcamp, Deezer, and Cdbaby. Check it out below!

Let us know what you think in the comments below!