Early on in the Mega Drive’s life, Sega was ramping up game development and accessory support to make it a real contender against Nintendo’s NES. In this February 1990 interview, Sega’s Deputy General Manager of Consumer Business Dept., Shigeo Kamata, and the Director of R&D, Hideki Sato, talk about that strategy, including console sales, the Mega Modem, the start of the Sega Technical Institute, and more.
Author: Ken Horowitz
Behind the Design: Sega Rally Championship (Arcade)
AM3 unleashed a monster racing title in early 1995 with Sega Rally Championship. Designed to be as far apart from Daytona USA as possible, the game brought off-road racing to arcades like no title before it. Its development is a tale of struggle and innovation, one that launched a franchise and a storied career. Join as we examine this Sega classic!
Zaxxon
Sega innovated in several ways with 1982’s Zaxxon and created a solid and challenging shooter that has become a classic. However, some may not enjoy the lack of depth find the gameplay frustrating if they’re not using a control stick. If those are humps you can get over, then Zaxxon offers an enjoyable, albeit short, experience that exemplifies Sega at its creative best.
Hacks & Homebrews: Final Fight MD
Capcom’s seminal brawler has finally made its way to the Genesis, and it has a ton of new features! Homebrew developer MXRetroDev has spent months fine-tuning the port, and the result is a Christmas present Genesis fans will definitely want to have on their flash carts.
Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom
Buck Rogers is a sci-fi legend, but he hasn’t had much of a presence in video games. Sega tried to remedy that with its 1982 arcade shooter that sought to take advantage of the TV revival that was popular at the time. While visually impressive and fun, Planet of Zoom may be a bit too repetitive for extended plays. Still, shooting things is fun!
