Climax burst onto the 16-bit scene with a wonderful 8Mb RPG that looked like nothing coming out of Japan at the time. Filled with memorable characters, fantastic visual effects, and a challenging quest, Shining in the Darkness was one hell of a debut title. It put Climax on the map and laid the foundation for a series that would run for the next three decades.
Features
Classic Interview: Shigeo Kamata and Hideki Sato
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.
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!
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.
Teasers: Metal Mack
BitBeamCannon has just launched a crowdfunding campaign for its latest Genesis action title, Metal Mack! The game pays homage to 8-bit classics like Mega Man, and it looks really good so far. The game has already achieved its funding goal, but there are several stretch goal that would be excellent additions to this amazing project.
