Tag: Sega

Happy 15th Birthday, Dreamcast

Fifteen years ago today, September 9, 1999, saw the release of the Sega Dreamcast.

Like any true hoarder, I still have my Dreamcast to this day along with my original VMU with a stack of games that include: Rainbow Six, Sonic Adventure, ECW Hardcore Revolution (I didn’t say they were all good), Resident Evil: Code Veronica and more. Every now and then I will take a stroll down memory lane and plug it in and it seems only fitting to do so again soon with it turning the big 1-5.

Sega’s last console was so far ahead of its time that it still is a shame it did not have a long lifespan. It was the first console built for gaming online (56K still counts) and the memory units (VMU) were a great way to take your home gaming to other places, even if it was extremely limited in capability. I remember seeing Resident Evil: Code Veronica for the first time and having one of those jaw-dropping moments.

Still a shame that 3D Sonic games hit their peak with the Dreamcast. Poor blue bastard.

Happy Birthday, Dreamcast. You deserved better.

September 9, 2014
7 Consoles You Probably Thought Were Sh**, And You Were Right

Atari Jaguar

-Because nothing says “reclaiming past glory” like a “64-bit” console with a controller that actually makes less sense than using a computer keyboard. Alien vs. Predator was admittedly awesome, but White Men Can’t Jump…

Magnavox Odyssey

-Gets obvious points for being the first home console, but loses them all for having no sound and controllers that looked like you could give ultrasounds with them.

Vectrex

-Because who doesn’t want their video game console to look like the TV screen in the chest of Robocop 2?

Philips CD-i

-Besides giving us the shittiest Zelda game ever and having a controller that looks like a double-sided dildo head, it retailed for $700…in 1991 money.

3DO

-The Steam Machine of the early 90’s. Made by multiple companies and way overpriced to compete in the home market, yet still sold 2 million consoles. Goldstar made one. GOLDSTAR!

Virtual Boy

-Imagine a 3DS that weighed 5 pounds, sat on a stand (because taping it to your head hurt, FYI), had two d-pads and could only be played in a red color that I can only imagine being used in futuristic dystopian societies to light our crime-ridden streets.

Sega Nomad

How awesome would a portable Genesis be? Pretty awesome if it didn’t have to use 6 AA batteries for five hours of play. Heat from the back of the unit may also scald children’s skin. Not a good PR move.

July 11, 2014
New Alien Game Info Released On Xbox Live (First Gameplay Shown)

A listing went up on the Xbox Games Store detailing a new Alien game by Sega and developer The Creative Assembly called Alien: Isolation which would see Ripley’s daughter, Amanda, go investigating her mother’s disappearance fifteen years ago only to become trapped with a xenomorph on a space station.

Check out the official listing:

“”Discover the true meaning of fear in Alien: Isolation, a survival horror set in an atmosphere of constant dread and immortal danger. Players will take on the role of Amanda, the daughter of Ellen Ripley, as she goes on a mission to find out the truth behind her mother’s disappearance. The listing states that players will navigate through “an increasingly volatile world as you find yourself confronted on all sides by a panicked, desperate population and and unpredictable, ruthless Alien.”

OK Sega, I was burned by Gearbox on Alien: Colonial Marines (read the review here to see how much it hurt) but since I am a card carrying member in the Alien fanboy club I will see what you have in store for this game.

UPDATE:

As I was about to hit publish on this article I found that GameTrailers has just posted a video with the first gameplay from Alien: Isolation. Check it out here.

First thought on the video: Damn, that is more like it.

January 7, 2014
Here Is The RetroN 4. Now You’re Playing With Power…And A Lot Of Holes

Photo courtesy polygon.com

Have a look at this mixture of childhood dreams and Dr. Frankenstein engineering. This is the RetroN 4 which looks like Nintendo and Sega got together one night over some drinks and a carton of Marlboros and let nature run its course.

This machine can play NES, SNES, Genesis and Game Boy Advanced cartridges and keep you re-living the lost memories of your youth without having to search around in your parent’s storage room for the consoles you told them to take care of, but they just stuffed them in a box next to your old baseball trophies and dad’s extra two cycle oil.

I digress.

Hyperkin will be showing off the RetroN 4 at the Midwest Gaming classic trade show on March 23rd. It comes two controller ports per system and a bluetooth controller that will allow you to customize your controls according to the system you are playing. An HDMI output makes for easy connection.

No release date has been given for the RetroN 4.

March 6, 2013
Aliens: Colonial Marines New Survivor Mode Trailer

Aliens Goes Into “Horde Mode”

One of the games that is on my definite pick up list next year is [amazon_link id=”B005THAX6K” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]Aliens: Colonial Marines[/amazon_link] and now the guys at Gearbox have revealed a new multiplayer mode for the game.

The Survivor mode will see a team of four marines controlled through online cooperative multiplayer as they try survive against wave after wave of xenomorph attacks. Does it sound overly original? No, but it doesn’t have to because when you think about it the movie Aliens is basically a two and a half hour survivor mode so let’s just say that this game has as good a reason to have one as any other.

Have a look at the trailer below to see Survivor mode in action.

Aliens: Colonial Marines releases on February 12, 2013.

November 21, 2012