Sega Mega Drive

Night Trap: The Cult SEGA CD Classic Returns

August 12, 2017 By ausretrogamer

Soooooo, were you one of the (un)lucky thousands of gamers to snag yourself the FMV (Full Motion Video) Sega CD cult classic, Night Trap? If you managed to get one, then you better get ready for some voyeuristic cheesiness!

For those of you thinking, “what the f… is Night Trap?”, welllllll, let us bring you up to speed: Night Trap has players take the role of a special agent tasked to watch over teenage girls visiting a house which, unbeknownst to them, is full of danger. Players watch live surveillance footage of the house and trigger traps to capture anyone seen endangering the girls. The primary antagonists are Augers, vampiric beings hellbent on capturing the girls for their blood. The player can freely switch their view between different cameras to keep watch over the girls and eavesdrop on conversations to follow the story and listen for clues.

Night Trap was the first interactive movie released for the Sega CD / Mega CD and one of the primary games responsible for popularising full-motion video (FMV) games 25 years ago. We can all thank Night Trap for causing controversy at the time which inevitably led to the creation of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).

OK, if you missed this Limited Run Games remastered Night Trap for the PS4, don’t fret, you can still play the original.

The original voyeuristic game, Night Trap

All Your Fave Mega Drive Games in One Place

April 22, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Put your retro party hats on peeps! SEGA Europe Ltd. is celebrating the launch of the all new SEGA Mega Drive Classics Hub on Steam with a 66% off sale on all SEGA Mega Drive games currently available on the platform. Anyone who purchases or already owns at least one SEGA Mega Drive title on Steam will be able to experience the wonder of the redesigned SEGA Mega Drive Classics Hub when it launches on the 28^th April, 2016.

The new-look system, developed by d3t, from which you can access all the SEGA Mega Drive games you own on Steam, now resembles the bedroom of an early nineties SEGA fan with dynamic time-of-day conditions, retro SEGA paraphernalia, a shelf full of Mega Drive games reflecting which ones you own on Steam, and of course, a CRT TV! It’s not just cosmetic improvements though; every single Mega Drive game available now on the platform will feature Steam Workshop support, allowing you to share modified versions of your favourite retro SEGA titles!

In addition to these new features the all new SEGA Mega Drive Collection hub also includes, spot-on emulation, local co-op for games that support it, optional graphic enhancement filters, the ability to save states at any point during gameplay and full controller and keyboard support.

For a full list of SEGA Mega Drive games available on the platform (there are 5 packs to choose from!), log on to Steam now!

source: Sega

Celebrating the Sega Mega Drive

October 29, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Sega’s 16-bit beast may have arrived on our shores late in 1990, but on this day (October 29) in 1988, Japan got a taste of the future with the release of the Mega Drive. A leap from the Master System, the Mega Drive brought home (almost perfect) arcade conversions, especially those from Sega’s own arcade stable.

While most of the western world was still in the micro computing craze with their C64s, Amigas and Atari STs, Sega stamped their authority with their latest, and as history would record it, their most successful console ever. The Mega Drive was the catalyst for converting a generation of micro computing enthusiasts into console gamers, I should know, I was one of them. My transition from 8-bit (C64) and 16-bit (Atari ST) computing was quite stark – as soon as I got my Mega Drive and whacked in the pack-in Altered Beast game, I honestly thought I had an arcade in my bedroom. Once I played Golden Axe, I was smitten with the machine. Alas, from that day forward (well, for the duration of the 90s) my micro computers were relegated to the back of the wardrobe because there was a new gaming system in town, and its name was Mega Drive!

What were your earliest memories of Sega’s 16-bit beauty? Hit us up on Twitter or Facebook and join in the conversation.

The Sega Genesis 32X Wasn’t Just a Gimmick

May 28, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Many gamers, me included, have fond memories of Sega at its prime – they were ready to knock Nintendo off of its pedestal. The Sega Genesis, in all of its 16-bit glory, took home gaming to an entirely new level. The colors were more varied and vivid, the music was better, and the worlds that we visited were more realistic. That’s not to say that I didn’t love my NES, but my Sega held a special place in my heart.

Nintendo didn’t just sit around and let Sega have all of the 16-bit fun, and soon, the Super Nintendo was looking to dominate the home video game market. Maybe this was the reason why Sega felt like they needed to improve upon the Genesis, by adding peripherals and add-ons like the Sega CD and 32X.

While I never was a big fan of the CD add-on, I did enjoy the 32X addition to my Genesis. It basically plugged into the cartridge slot, and into the back of the system, essentially doubling the output of the unit. The 32X promised better sound, especially through a premium Selby home theater surround sound system, brighter colors and ushered in true three-dimensional gaming to the masses.

I wasn’t sure about the add-on at first until I happened to see a demo at my local mall for the fighting game Virtua Fighter. It was a 3D fighter with fully articulated fighters on a 3D field. The camera rotated around the fighters and the polygonal figures on the screen moved so realistically. I was so gobsmacked, I knew I had to buy the system immediately.

source: Wikipedia

Now, the ultimate promise that Virtua Fighter made on the fledgling system never really materialized. It was probably the best game on the system and although there were other good games such as Mortal Kombat 2, Star Wars Arcade, and the Sonic and Knuckles games, there were many other games that weren’t much more than pretty ports of the original game, but ultimately the best version of the game.

Even though the system was not very successful and ultimately only 30 or so games were released, it had a lot going for it and was a stepping stone towards the games we enjoy today. You have to hand it to Sega for having the guts to give this thing the green light in the first place. It offered near perfect arcade ports of games that were unbelievable at the time and affordable to most people as well.

Nowadays the system is mostly for collectors, but some of these games are still pretty fun to play, even 20 years after their release, such as Virtua Racing, NBA Jam and Space Harrier. With more third party support, the 32X might have been considered a classic today with a huge library of games…unfortunately, it has become just a footnote in the history of gaming, much like Nintendo’s Virtual Boy…my eyes and head hurt just thinking about that thing.

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Matt Thames
Blogger and Brand Manager at Selby Acoustics.

Made In Australia: Mega Drive Games

March 18, 2015 By ausretrogamer

Following on from our look at Aussie made NES games, the Made In Australia series dives straight into the 16-bit era this time around, starting with Sega’s Mega Drive. The Mega Drive was an instant hit for Sega – it had a headstart on Nintendo’s 16-bit offering and it never looked back.

With a pedigree in arcade gaming, Sega’s 16-bit machine wasn’t short on awesome arcade conversions. Who could forget their first play on Golden Axe? It was like (Ed: almost) having the arcade machine in your bedroom! With sleek looks and a plethora of crtically acclaimed games, the Mega Drive went from strength to strength and smashed all kinds of sales records across the globe. Australian coders also jumped on the 16-bit development bandwagon (Ed: especially Beam Software!) and created a handful of Mega Drive games – some more well known than others. Do you remember playing any of these?

NBA All Star Challenge (1991) – Beam Software

George Foreman’s K.O. Boxing (1992) – Beam Software

Blades of Vengeance (1993) – Beam Software

Tom & Jerry: Frantic Antics (1993) – Beam Software

Radical Rex (1994) – Beam Software

True Lies (1994) – Beam Software

Australian Rugby League (1995) – Dreamtime Interactive (in conjunction with I-Space Interactive)

image source: Moby Games, Games Database, retro gaming australia

In the next Made In Australia feature, we will look at Super Nintendo games that were made down under. Till then, play hard and have fun!

The Definitive Sega Mega Drive Book

December 4, 2014 By ausretrogamer

There have been a swag of quality books published recently based on our rich history of video gaming. This illustrates the importance of the impact and value that video gaming has played in our recent past. The cultural importance of video games has gained enough momentum that it has become our favourite form of entertainment. What these publications do for the history of video gaming is to document eras, games, systems of our wonderful industry for us to indulge in the nostalgic memories and also act as a reference for future generations.

One book that caught our attention was Read-Only Memory’s ‘Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works‘. The book aimed to become the definitive retrospective of Sega’s 16 -bit beast, featuring development and concept illustrations of Sega’s best-loved game franchises, original developer interviews and previously unseen hardware production plans.The crowd-funding campaign of a year ago was so successful that Read-Only Memory added additional content to sweeten the already quite tasty book. The finished product not only surpassed what it promised to deliver, but it provides loads more – from exclusive interviews with legendary US developers, Greg Johnson and Mark Voorsanger (ToeJam & Earl), Naoto Ohshima (Sonic The Hedgehog) and Yu Suzuki (Space Harrier et al), to concept art and level visualisations for Vectorman 2 and detailed pencil-drawn level maps for Comix Zone.

For those that only know Sega as a software publisher, this book is a reminder of its former glory – making awesome gaming hardware. The Sega pedigree carried from its arcade systems to its home systems reached a pinnacle with its 16-bit world beater, the Mega Drive (Genesis for our North American gaming friends). With an estimated 40 millions consoles sold world-wide, the 16-bit beauty assured itself a place in the pantheon of great systems. This ‘Collected Works‘ book not only celebrates the Mega Drive hardware, but it also showcases the wealth of Sega’s 16-bit software titles; from blockbuster games such as Bare Knuckle/Streets of Rage, Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star, Gunstar Heroes, Super Shinobi/Revenge of Shinobi and Golden Axe, through to cult gems such as Rent-a-Hero, Vectorman and DecapAttack. This book has it all!

If you are after the definitive book on all things Sega Mega Drive / Genesis, then look no further – this book oozes quality and makes you want to come back to it again and again to feast your eyes on each page – from it’s well written foreword, to the never before seen Sega production blueprints, and to the great collective artwork. Even if you are not a Sega fan, this book’s historical value and page-turning ability is simply irresistible. For those not into gaming at all, we guarantee this book will get lots of attention if placed on your coffee table. This is the only Sega Mega Drive / Genesis book you will ever need. Highly recommended.

Vital Stats:
Title: Sega Mega Drive/Genesis: Collected Works
Price: £35.00 (plus shipping)
Size: 216mm x 267mm
Binding: Hardback
Pages: 352pp
Specials: 8 x Gatefold Pages

image source: Read-Only Memory

Retro Gaming Calendars for 2015

November 11, 2014 By ausretrogamer

Have you got a calendar for next year? Even if you do, I guarantee you will like these retro gaming inspired calendars even better!

The Sunteam (the team behind the PC Engine Software Bible) have put together seven classic gaming calendars to cater for all retro gamers – from the Spectrum and PC-Engine lovers, to the Sega and Commodore fans, no one will feel left out (Ed: unless you are a one-eyed Nintendo fan!). You can finally put your old CD cases to good use!

Get on over to the Sunteam site to download your favourite retro gaming calendar!

Mega Drive Megatron and Optimus Prime Playstation

September 10, 2014 By ausretrogamer

Let’s all start with a collective sigh of disappointment. Why the disappointment? Well, after getting quite excited over the announcement that Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. would release special console Transformers to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the robots in disguise, there has been another delay in their availability.

The Mega Drive Megatron was originally slated for a September release, but that has now been pushed out to October. Optimus Prime (featuring original Playstation) won’t see the light of day till 2015 (no exact date known). On the positive side, the delay should give you extra time to save – these Transformers won’t be cheap (~$103AUD).

For now, you can drool over the photos of these awesome console Transformers!

The sleek Megatron!