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Many of Sega’s arcade releases of the early ’80s have been overlooked, and there are some good titles worth checking out. One of them is Mister Viking, a 1984 run-‘n-gun that wasn’t spectacular but offered some decent fun for a while. It was manufactured and distributed in the U.S. by Bally/Midway, after Sega’s retreat from the U.S. market in 1983.
Sega’s arcade hack-‘n-slash coin-op spawned a franchise that has lasted for decades and became an instant classic. Released amid a flurry of Double Dragon clones, its fantasy setting and awesome magic effects gave it a strong identity that caused brought in tons of quarters. This is the one that started it all.
1991, cigarette maker Phillip Morris decided to sue Sega Enterprises over use of what was obviously a version of its Malboro brand logo. Found in the arcade version of Super Monaco GP, the ads set off what was a relatively quiet, if not tense situation between the two companies that ended in a settlement.
SegaSonic The Hedgehog was one of the few games in the franchise to not see a home release, due to its trackball control scheme. Thankfully, it can still be played via emulation in MAME. It may be short, but it’s a fun three-player romp that was great to play with friends. Staff writer Doug Jackson spent some time with it, so read on for his impressions!
Wrestling games are a dime a dozen now, but there was a time when Genesis owners had literally none to play. After teasing us with a blurb for Wrestle War in two of its pack-in posters, Sega decided against releasing the game in America. Maybe the company knew better after all, as we really weren’t missing much. Bland, generic characters and stiff gameplay made it a title to forget, and we could always play Tecmo World Wrestling on the NES. At least that one was good.