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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.
As a precursor to Taito’s Bubble Bobble series, Chack’n Pop is a great little maze game that far too few people have had the chance to play. It’s one of the great number of fun SG-1000 titles that don’t get enough love, and it’s entirely playable in English.
Largely unknown to Western games, The Black Onyx is something of a legend in Japan and laid the foundation for many console and computer RPGs to come. It’s quite barebones now, but it’s remarkable that the SG-1000 even got the game, considering it was released well into the Famicom era.
Still looking for another golf title to try out? Tired of the PGA series and any of the multitude of golf games on the Genesis? Here’s one you probably haven’t tried. Be wary though. It hasn’t aged well visually, and the language barrier may push you away. Still, it’s interesting to find that there are still genres offering new experiences to Western Genesis players, even sports like golf.
On the Mega Drive, Sega began offering downloadable games via its MegaNet service. Robot Battler was among the titles released, but it offered little satisfaction compared to some of the other titles. Today, what novelty it has is gone, and the actual game is perhaps better left as a footnote in the company’s history.