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.

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!

If you don’t know what RushOnGame is, it’s an online store based in France that allows indie developers to privately sell their wares. It’s probably best known across the SEGA community in Europe for stocking a whole array of brand new Dreamcast titles released last year, by devs such as JoshProd and Orion, including: Flashback, 4×4 Jam, Ganryu, Sturmwind and Zia and the Goddess of Magic (plus many more).

But it now looks like they will begin to stock Mega Drive titles as well, which is very exciting – especially as there has been an increase in new Mega Drive games being developed over the last couple of years, particularly with the rise of successful Kickstarter projects.

We’ll keep you updated when we know more about their first batch of Mega Drive games.

Interestingly, there’s an option to download a CDI image of the game, which you are free to burn to a CD yourself. While that may not appeal to everyone, it does save the cost of physical production and shipping – meaning it’s a more affordable option for many people.

Of course, there are also physical Dreamcast versions available to back, which is great. Plus, for those who had previously backed the physical release of the Mega Drive version, you will receive the digital Dreamcast version too! Awesome stuff.

What’s more, those sexy folk over at the Dreamcast Junkyard reached out to the team at Bitmap Bureau on Twitter and suggested the possibility of Twin Stick support, which would be ideal for this type of game. Nothing is confirmed, but Bitmap Bureau responded with a very positive:

“…let’s give it a go! We’ll test it out and hopefully be able to add support. :)”

So, fingers crossed, those of you lucky enough to own a Twin Stick, might soon see a new use for it!

If the idea of a Dreamcast release of Xeno Crisis piques your interest, be sure to support the game’s development further, via the Kickstarter page!

Earlier this week, the Kickstarter updated followers about some of the brand new contributors to SEGA Dreamcast: Collected Works, which include former SEGA of America COO/President Bernard Stolar (Check out his latest project, GoldenEye-influenced Shadow Stalkers, here) former SEGA of America President Peter Moore, and SEGA legend Yuji Naka.

Here’s the current list of contributors:

• Masayoshi Kikuchi, Director/Producer: Jet Set Radio
• Tetsuya Mizuguchi, Producer: Space Channel 5, Rez
• Takayuki Kawagoe, Producer: Jet Set Radio
• Kenji Kanno, Director/Producer: Crazy Taxi
• Hideki Naganuma, Musician: Jet Set Radio
• Keiji Okayasu, Game Director/Program Director: Shenmue, Shenmue II
• Yuji Naka, Producer: Sonic Adventure, Phantasy Star Online, ChuChu Rocket!, Samba de Amigo
• Tetsu Katano, Programmer: Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2
• Bernie Stolar, Executive: SEGA
• Jordan Freeman, Founder: ZOOM Platform
• Peter Moore, President: SEGA

Sources close to us say that Yu Suzuki might be formally announced as a contributor soon, which is very exciting news. You cannot make a Dreamcast book without the man behind Shenmue and Virtua Fighter, that’s for sure.

We’ll keep you posted on the latest news regarding this Kickstarter. In the meantime, don’t forget to donate to its Kickstarter if you have not done so already!

Earlier this year Brazilian tech company TecToy released their new Mega Drive to celebrate 30 year of partnership with SEGA. While this version is better than previous clone consoles, it shares the same Red Kid 2500 processor that has been used in AtGames systems, which means it has audio issues, as well.

But a recent discovery has been made by two fans Neto and Rafael Müller named that could completely fix the audio issues in the AtGames and TecToy Genesis systems.

The recent TecToy Genesis contained a file called md.bin on its packaged SD card. This file sends instructions to the processor to tell it how to execute the games. After a month of digging into the bin file and system, the duo made some interesting discoveries.

Most importantly, they discovered that the clock speed was wrong, which was reportedly the reason the Red Kid 2500 processor had bad audio. Adjusting the clock speed to the correct setting got the sound at about 85-90 percent accuracy of the original Genesis.

Upon hearing this news, fans began messaging TecToy requesting that the company implement this as an official update, and surprising enough, TecToy has announced that they’ll do just that.

Neto and Rafael didn’t stop their work with the TecToy Mega Drive, though. Because it and the AtGames’ Genesis clones and handhelds share the same processor, the two were able to implement this fix on one of their handhelds.

This is pretty impressive work that the duo were able to solve a decade-old problem by using a hex decimal editor and Assembly. Neto and Rafael deserve a lot of credit for fixing a problem that big companies did not have the courage to fix.

If you want to try this fix, take the following steps:

1. Download the latest firmware for the new Mega Drive;
2. Inside the file, you will have two files the MDI.BIN (New Mega Drive) and Neto_Boot_Loader.BIN (Portable Mega Drive);
3. Place the Neto_Boot_Loader.BIN file in the GAME folder and through the MD Play menu load it through the SD option;
4. From now, all the functions will be the same as the new TecToy Mega Drive with all the benefits of applied patches.

Here’s another video to see the difference between the original and the modified file:

For those who aren’t familiar with the game, it’s a 2D platformer and you play as Ristar, an anthropomorphic star with stretchy arms (used for attacking enemies and grabbing ledges/poles/ladders). The story varies slightly between the Western and Japanese versions of the game (though it looks like SEGA Forever’s release is just the Western one). Essentially an evil space pirate, Kaiser Greedy, has used mind control to make different planets’ leaders obey him. In the English version Ristar’s father is a Legendary Hero, who is kidnapped by Greedy and Ristar goes on a quest to restore peace to the galaxy and save his father.

The slightly more exciting news is that, with the release of Ristar, it looks like SEGA has spent time updating the emulator. Gameplay/frame rates seem to be smoother than other SEGA Forever releases and there’s also some new features, such as customisable controls. plus the option to switch between original and smooth graphics (see gallery below).

I know things like the customisable controls are something that SEGA fans have been asking for, so it’s good to see that SEGA is missing and rolling out regular updates like this.

You can buy Ristar on the AppStore and GooglePlay now.

The vinyl will be available in three editions: Clear with Orange Splatter (Limited Edition), Opaque Orange and Classic Black.

The track list order:

Side A:

A1. Rise from Your Grave
A2. Altered Beast
A3. Gaum Hermer

Side B:

B1. Crystal Theme
B2. Closed in Upon Me
B3. I’ll Be Back
B4. I’m Not Scared of Wolves
B5. Game Over

Press release from Data Discs

WWISE FRUM YO GWAVVE! Originally released in the arcades in 1988, but quickly ported over to SEGA’s new Mega Drive console, where it entered countless homes as a pack-in game, Altered Beast remains memorable for many things over its gameplay, not least its soundtrack. Composed by Tohru “Master” Nakabayashi, the music of Altered Beast moves between intense battle themes and cavernous dirges; the perfect backdrop to traversing the netherworld, punching pigs and powering up.

Sourced from a Japanese Mega Drive and carefully mastered for vinyl, Altered Beast is presented as a 45RPM cut LP in a 400g matt varnished sleeve and printed inner sleeve, both of which feature hand-painted artwork from the SEGA archives. Also included is a foldout poster of the original painting used for the game’s box art.

And here’s a preview of ‘Rise From Your Grave’, via Data Discs’ Soundcloud:

When SEGA Forever finally launched last week, fans reacted in a variety of ways. There was definitely excitement at the concept of being able to play almost every SEGA game, from every SEGA-made console for free.

But there was also disappointment, as the handful of launch titles were games that we’d experienced time and again over the years and most of them were already available on iOS and Android – now updated with the SEGA Forever menu system. Even bigger disappointment came when many (but not all) users found problems with the games’ emulation.

Certainly, at SEGA Nerds HQ, we’ve all been reporting different experiences with SEGA Forever. I, for one, found the emulation on my one-year old Android tablet so bad (almost unplayable on Kid Chameleon), that I went out and bought a second hand 6th generation iPod Touch, just so I could try and play the games properly!

Ultimately, reviews in the app stores have been mixed and some fans wanted answers.

Luckily Eurogamer picked up their hotline to SEGA HQ and spoke with Sega Networks’ chief marketing officer, Mike Evans, about SEGA Forever and the problems fans have been having. One thing I’ve got to commend Eurogamer for, they certainly fired some straight shots at Mike Evans, holding nothing back. 

Here’s a few highlights from the interview:

Eurogamer: You say it’s [the launch has] been positive, but I’m looking at the top reviews – I know they’re not gospel and are prone to hyperbole – but one of the top ones on the App Store for Altered Beast says ‘Sega Forever is a massive joke’. You look at Phantasy Star as well – ‘this needs to take massive steps with the emulation’ – these aren’t specialist guys, these are the top reviews on the App and Android store.

Mike Evans: We need to look at the larger trends on reviews as well, so rather than spot-checking one to represent the overall feel, we’ve been actively listening to all the reviews and trying to figure out if there is an area that we need to address. Phantasy Star is the title where we need to have the most work, if we’re honest, we had a couple of challenges with Sonic out of the gate with users not being able to disable ads, we submitted an update yesterday and that fixed it. We’ve actively been going back to individual consumers one on one to address those issues. We want them to have the best experience possible.

Eurogamer: I played two of the games today and I had issues with stuttering and audio issues – a lot of people are asking why we used to have versions of these games that used to run perfectly on mobile back as long as 2009, why is it that these ones aren’t working.

Mike Evans: It’s difficult to comment on the individual case because of fragmentation, all I can say is it’s a small proportion. Without knowing the channels the game was run on previously it’s difficult for me to make that comparison. Like I said, it’s something we’re working on.

Eurogamer: Speaking personally as a Sega fan, it saddens me when a once great company releases stuff in this state. There’s a patchy track record – M2’s work on the 3DS [with Sega Classics] have been incredible, the best of their kind – then you see stuff like this, and I think it’s fair to say it’s been shoddy. I’ve played them on a variety of devices and the experience hasn’t been good at all, and it’s a shame to see once great games treated like this. Do you see why Sega’s reputation isn’t what it once was when stuff like this happens?

Mike Evans: I think that whilst we’re continually working to improve on quality – we have to understand the context of mobile in that sense – if you look at the vast majority there’s a lot of very delighted fans out there. We’re going to continue to improve, the core is very important to us as well, and make those changes so we’re happy and they’re happy.

Eurogamer: Is Sega Forever more of a cash grab than trying to preserve Sega’s past?

Mike Evans: No. This is a passion project for us – it links into the corporate statement of reviving the brands as well, it’s really something that’s going to be done on an amazing scale. If you look at this project it’s not a high-yielding project for Sega, it provides enough cash to make it viable but it’s about getting the IP to the fans and allow them to rediscover it.

Eurogamer: And in terms of curation – the first five games weren’t a particularly imaginative selection of games. Will there be more curios coming further down the line?

Mike Evans: I’d welcome your feedback on why you don’t think it wasn’t a great line-up. I’d love to know more.

Eurogamer: Altered Beast, to start with, isn’t a great game, a lot of these have been available before. There’s such a wide range of Sega games, and to see the same games doled out again and again and again is a bit disappointing.

Mike Evans: We spent a long time internally trying to figure out the best launch line-up – some of it’s based on historical context. And that’s important to the core as well – Altered Beast, it’s a title a lot of people love, a lot of people grew up with, and it was the original title that shipped with the Genesis in 1989. And then we tried to tie it with things like Phantasy Star 2 which is a little more core, Sonic which is obviously a little more mass-market. The whole notion of what we’re doing with this project is that typically Sega will give you the Ultimate Mega Drive collection – Sega will prescribe 10 titles. For many of you, you’ll love three of them, the rest either they’re new or you haven’t played them before. What we’re doing here is every couple of weeks you’ll see new titles coming out, and the idea is that a user can choose which titles mean something to them. We’re starting with the Genesis, because it’s the most successful platform – it’s a good place to introduce the mainstream audience to what we’re doing. That said, I’m very cognisant of getting some fan wins in there as well – I’m actively looking at Segagaga as a title which will be a great thing, there are other titles I’d love to see like Panzer Dragoon. They’re the things that take a bit more time, but what we’ve got to do is get the quality right as well, and that’s important. We’re going to keep working and the selection is about what we hear back from the fans, what we hear from the market and what we hear about the quality.

There is a lot more to the interview and, even if you’re not a big fan of Eurogamer, I’d recommend giving it a read, because they seem to be asking SEGA the right questions. You can find the interview here.

Sega Nerds has been following TecToy since the first rumors appeared on the internet in October 2016 about a new Mega Drive. What was before just rumors later became a reallity when TecToy announced they would release a new Mega Drive to celebrate their 30 years of partnership with SEGA.

The staff from Sega Nerds in Brazil just received the new Mega Drive and made a video unboxing the new Mega Drive!

We hope to have a video comparing TecToy’s attempt compared to the original SEGA model, very soon. The console costs approximately $124 (R$ 399), and it can be bought on the official TecToy website.