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360 Genesis emulator in development
Ah the Sega Genesis. For many gamers, there are no fonder memories than the 16-bit days of yore. Altered Beast, Golden Axe, Sonic the Hedgehog. Hell, back then Sega even made decent RPGs (what the hell happened to those anyway?). Perhaps you find yourself in a similar nostalgic boat. Maybe you're sitting there with all of those incredibly legal backup copies of your old Genesis games and looking for a way to play them on your Xbox 360. If so, you may soon be in luck, as a CodePlex user by the name of GrahamStoneman is currently working on a Genesis emulator for the Xbox 360. The project is currently still in its early stages -- it doesn't actually play games at this point -- but GrahamStoneman hopes to create a fully functional and full speed emulator by the time the project is finished. Graham Stoneman is looking for collaborators, so you may want to check it out if you're interested.Our only question is how such an emulator will be executed on a 360? The project entry makes no mention of XNA (which has been used to create other emulators), so we're curious if the emulator is expected to run through Microsoft approved means or via an exploit.[Via DCEmu]
VC Friday: Beatdowns in space
Four new games up this week on the VC, and despite the fact that three of them are from Sega's Mega Drive, Nintendo still manages a fair amount of diversity in this week's selection. By diversity, we mean that they don't all involve outer space or badassery ... well, okay, you got us. These games actually are about space and/or fighting, because what the Virtual Console really needed was more beatdowns. In space. Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle - Mega Drive - 800 Wii points Shockman - TurboGrafx - 600 Wii points Virtua Fighter 2 - 800 Wii points Wonder Boy in Monster World - 800 Wii points
Funkotron Rage! Sega announces four new Virtual Console games
Sega has announced four new Genesis titles it will bringing to the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. Historically, this means that all four titles will be available by the end of May. Side-scrolling beat-em-up Streets of Rage 2 and the funktastic Toe Jam & Earl 2: Panic on Funkotron are slated for release, as are Shining in the Darkness and Kid Chameleon. According to the press release, Genesis titles "start at 800 points" (US $8), though no game has yet surpassed that price point. The only two titles to break the standard price barriers are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (600 points for the NES game) and R-Type (800 points for the TurboGrafx-16 game).[Via Gamasutra][Update: Corrected utterly nightmarish (but incorrect) Virtual Console price.]
DIY wireless Sega controller for Wii Virtual Console
It's literally been ages since we've held a piece of Sega hardware in our hands -- even our trusty old GameGear finally made the trip to gadget heaven -- but we'll never forger the first time we picked up a Genesis controller and were floored by the future of gaming. Its name? Altered Beast. Well as we all know, Sega ended up getting lost in the shuffle during the 20th century console wars, and all that's left today is a steady stream of new games and some classics that have found their way onto the Virtual Console. Isn't it appropriate, then, to get into the Sega spirit by playing these retro titles with genuine Sega controllers? Well you ain't gonna find them on shelves anymore, but if you've got an old gamepad lying around like Daniel Hearn did, its not all that difficult to roll your own wireless pad. All the parts you need -- save for the controller body itself -- can be found at the Sparkfuns and and RadioShacks of the world, and the linked guide gives you all the programming / construction resources you'll need. Big ups to the first reader who combines this project with the Mega Drive controller MP3 mod, creating a DAP whose functionality even the iPod can't touch.[Via Wii Fanboy]
Sega Genesis wireless controller hack brings back that lovin' feeling
Seeing games like Streets of Rage and Gunstar Heroes released on the Virtual Console has been a dream come true for Genesis enthusiasts, but there's something inauthentic about playing these titles with controllers forged by Sega's former adversary. It's like getting back together with an old lover, only to find that there's something missing.You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips.And there's no tenderness like before in your fingertips.You're trying hard not to show it. But baby, baby I know it...Daniel Hearn refused to let his relationship with the Mega Drive slip away, hacking an old three-button pad to work with the Nintendo Wii wirelessly. Using similar NES/SNES controller mods as inspiration, he pieced this together with PIC microcontrollers, an iPod mini replacement battery, and other electronic junk. The detailed guide and wiring instructions that Daniel posted are far beyond our limited abilites, but if you don't mind applying a bit of Weird Science to win your love back, this definitely looks worth trying!
Sonic 2 prototype now playable
Known only as "drx," some mysterious mage has resurrected a Sonic the Hedgehog 2 prototype cart and promptly dumped it (for emulation). It's an early build of Sega's sequel that's more akin to the first game than to the final version of Sonic 2. Can you spot the differences? It's been suggested that this prototype is the same alpha build that was featured in several episodes of Nick Arcade. Another early build, often referred to as Sonic 2 Beta, was stolen from a toy show in New York back in '92. The cart was pirated and sold as a final version in parts of Asia and Brazil, despite only featuring four semi-playable levels.
On eBay: the first game mag, Sega Genesis guitar
GameSetWatch has discovered a couple of interesting video game related items on eBay including a magazine from 1970 with the cover-text "Game Computer" (the first magazine to put "computer" and "game" onto the front cover?) and an electric guitar made out of a Sega Genesis. There's not much else to say about the magazine: it either is or isn't the first magazine to mention computer games. Unfortunately we have no idea how to verify this. The Sega Genesis guitar is a little more straightforward. The modder has merely replaced the body of the guitar with a Sega Genesis and called it good. And yes, the guitar does work, although the same can't be said for the Genesis. Now all we need to see is a guitarist using the guitar to play some Michael Jackson riffs as a tribute to Sonic 3!
