Retro Megabit

‘Kung Fu UFO’ for the Sega Genesis is Ready for Crowd Funding!

Posted by Sega Dude on September 20, 2018

Posted in: Community, Games, Genesis (North America), Mega Drive (EURO), Mega Drive (Japanese), SEGA. Tagged: Crowdfunding, genesis, IndieGoGo, Kung Fu UFO, mega drive, Retro Nerve, Retro Video Game, sega. 5 Comments

The Indie development team Retro Nerve is ready to bring into the world a brand new Sega Genesis and Sega Mega Drive video game. Are you ready for ‘Kung-Fu UFO‘?!

Update: Unfortunately Kung-Fu UFO didn’t hit its IndieGoGo campaign target and it was not funded. I’ve been told first-hand that Retro Nerve will continue working on this project as best they can and hopefully we’ll still see this cool game sometime in the near future.

Here’s the scope of the vision direct from Retro Nerve:

“Kung-Fu UFO is a brand new and original game for the SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis, to be released on cartridge sometime in the future. A 16bit story driven adventure game heavily inspired by sci-fi and martial arts movies from the 80s and 90s. While not trying to emulate any existing titles we’re taking some inspiration in games like the TMNT beat’ em ups, Battletoads, Prince of Persia, and Mortal Kombat. Even some more retro and obscure games like The Way of the Exploding Fist and The Way of the Tiger on the C64 and ZX Spectrum.” –retronerve.games

For all the details visit Kung Fu UFO’s IndieGoGo Campaign and help support this game.

A physical release for the Sega Genesis and Sega Mega Drive is my favorite way to serve up retro video games. And this is exactly what Retro Nerve is promising.

From the look of these very early physical release mock-ups I’m hoping that we’re going to see several flavors offered. At a minimum we’re going to be treated to a Standard Edition and a Limited Edition.

Below are three animated gifs of Kung Fu UFO that collectively throw a lot of information at us.

For starters we can see the game is a platformer. We can also see that it does in fact appear to contain actual Kung Fu! …and actual fighting mechanics!

I am I seeing punches, upper cuts, kicks, and running drop kicks?
…and what’s that? …blocking too!?

“When it comes to dealing with those annoying bad guys we hand-crafted a fighting engine with kicks, punches blocks and combos that is very intuitive and can be simple or complex, depending on what the game needs and how you decide to play it. It will also include some very cool special attacks and powers to take care of the wide arrange of human and alien enemies.” –retronerve.games

Our hero has a life meter and what looks like a charge meter; while each opponent also has a life meter. It’s interesting to see how this platformer seems to have a lot in common with a traditional isometric brawler.

I am curious about how a combo system will be used in a game like this. Will there be an incentive to fight an enemy instead of just running past?

So, how about that parallax scrolling? It’s so good! For such an early stage of development Kung Fu UFO is looking really pretty.

Just as Retro Nerve has said, it is apparent that exploration will be a component of the game. Which I fully support. It’s important to change the pace of games to keep them interesting and engaging.

Is Kung Fu UFO going to be an amazing retro video game?

It’s really too early to say. And, honestly, too soon to ask. The game is still in it’s Alpha Development and I don’t know yet what type of experience to expect from it.

But what has already been achieved and displayed is truly amazing. Kung Fu UFO has no right looking as polished as it does at this point.

Here’s a quick summary of what we can expect:

A 16-bit cartridge – Playable on SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis consoles and compatible clones (PAL, NTSC-US, NTSC-J)
16-bit pixel art – Beautiful hand crafted and animated graphics and cutscenes.
16-bit chiptune – A rocking soundtrack with a variety of songs and tons of sound effects.
Story driven gameplay – That mixes different genres like platformer, beat’ em up, fighting and more.
A main character with lots of different moves – Kicks, punches, combos and special attacks and more to be unlocked as you make your way through the game.
Vehicles to drive and boss fights – Because running around all the time is not that fun, you’ll also be able to drive a motorbike, a plane, and more… Stopping here and there to finish off some huge baddies in order to go on with the story.
Different stages – Not only graphically, but also in gameplay mechanics with bonus stages and huge levels for you to explore and clean out of enemies. Each level will have its own set of different enemies. Keeping the gameplay and the game’s progression varied in every chapter from beggining to end.
Difficulty levels – So anyone can enjoy and finish the game and everyone can set the bar to their preferred challenge.
Password system – Bringing back the almost forgotten yet thrilling experience of getting a pen and a piece of paper and writing down a code in order to be able to continue the game where you left off.
An amazing cover art – made by Yayo our concept artist.

Of course I’ve already pledged for my own Kung Fu UFO. And yes, there is some uncertainty but from what we have been presented so far I have a very good feeling about this one.

Consider sharing in this adventure and pledge for your copy if you like what you see.

Kung Fu UFO’s IndieGoGo Campaign

Tanglewood, 16-bit Perfection.

Posted by Sega Dude on August 14, 2018

Posted in: Community, Games, Genesis (North America), Mega Drive (EURO), Mega Drive (Japanese), Reviews, SEGA. Tagged: genesis, Matt Phillips, mega drive, Nymn, Physical Release, sega, Tanglewood, Tanglewoodgame. 6 Comments

I love my old 16-bit retro video games. A lot.

And I can’t say for certain if it’s simply because they’re what I grew up with or if this era of games did something so right that they transcend the hardware they were made for.

I’m sure for me personally the answer is a mix of both.

At the same time it’s still easy enough to see that the classic platformer formula still really works. To the point where terms like ‘retro inspired’ and ‘pixel artwork’ have become common hooks in the modern gaming scene.

Old timers, next gen gamers and Indie developers have wholeheartedly embraced this retro gaming trend and it feels like it’s here to stay.

What still continues to surprise (and delight) this retro gamer is the desire of talented and capable developers who put the primary focus of their vision on original 16-bit hardware.

Tanglewood (developed by Matt Phillips, founder of Big Evil Corporation) was written for the Sega Mega Drive and Sega Genesis and developed on an original Sega Development kit.

Tanglewood is a pure blood Sega Mega Drive and Sega Genesis video game.

But don’t get too caught up in how amazing that fact is. The most important part about Tanglewood is that it’s an exceptionally good video game.

You can order Tanglewood right now for your Sega Mega Drive and Sega Genesis.
Or purchase Tanglewood on Steam and play it today!

A little about Tanglewood:

“TANGLEWOOD® is a brand new and original game for the SEGA Mega Drive and Genesis…”
“A true 16-bit, nostalgic platforming experience running on genuine SEGA hardware, that will make fans of SEGA’s golden era feel warm and fuzzy.”

“Set in a fictional world, the game follows a young creature, Nymn, who is separated from the family pack after the sun sets. Unable to get back to the safety of the underground home, Nymn must find a way to survive the night terrors and get to morning. TANGLEWOOD’s world is a dangerous one after dark, and Nymn must use skills of evasion, special abilities, traps and trickery to defeat predators.” – TangelwoodGame.com

Before I get into some finer details of the game (without spoilers) I’m going to try and find the words to express how much fun I’m having playing Tanglewood.

You play the game as a ‘fox like’ creature named Nymn who is very endearing. Nymn doesn’t have dialog and the plot is simply help Nymn survive the night and find home. Yet despite this simplicity I found myself getting attached. The more I struggled solving puzzles and after each narrow escape from the jaws of some beast the more Nymn mattered to me.

Nymn is without question the underdog when night falls. And both the mood and story telling of Tanglewood are perfection.

It’s not often that I feel such a strong emotional connection when playing any video game. And I was genuinely amazed at myself when I started to realize how invested I felt in Tanglewood.

For example, I really like Sonic the Hedgehog. There is a lot of fun to be had in the classic Sonic games. But I can slam that Hedgehog into a pit of spikes all day long and not feel the slightest emotional response except a mild annoyance that I’m going to have to do that part again.

But in Tanglewood… my heart would scream ‘Nymn must not be harmed!’.

Of course I managed to bring Nymn to an unfathomable number of savage deaths. But each time death found us I was in fact trying very hard to save poor Nymn. I found that I really, very badly, wanted to safely guide Nymn home.

Tangelwood is always engaging and you’ll always be eager to find out whats next.
Although, I promise, you’ll not be able to anticipate where this adventure is going to take you.

The drive to carry on is fueled by a game that offers both a level password save feature and checkpoints through out each Act. While Tanglewood can be challenging and difficult it is not punishing. Unlike many platformer games from Sega’s 16-bit catalog, when you return to Tanglewood for another session you’ll be picking up where you left off instead of starting right from the beginning. Which is a refreshing change and helps keeps the wonderful story center stage.

The creator, Matt Phillips, found his inspiration for Tanglewood from games like Limbo, Oddworld: Abe’s Oddyssey, Flashback and the Lion King. If you’re familiar with these games then you’ll have some idea of what to expect from Tanglewood.

But make no mistake Tanglewood has it’s own direction and a very strong identity.

An intuitive understanding of the games mechanics will guide the player while Tanglewood’s mysterious lore will slowly unfold as the player progresses.

Despite his appearance Nymn is not actually a fox, but ‘fox like’ and where this adventure takes place is not on Earth but someplace ‘Earth like’. Tanglewood is set on a world with two suns and two moons. Factions are distinguished between the day dwellers and night dwellers. While an extinct race wiped out by it’s own enslaved Djakk beasts have left behind many shacks, tree houses and contraptions that were once powered by small round creatures called Fuzzl’s. Fuzzl’s posses a varied array of powers which can be bestowed onto Nymn. Which in turn help Nymn navigate the games many puzzles and often aid in escaping the creatures of the night.

The core mechanics of Tanglewood will have you running and jumping through each level searching for Fuzzl’s that need a ‘helping paw’ and then figuring out how to return each Fuzzl to its near by nest. Once a Fuzzl is returned you’ll have earned the use of it’s power for a short time. You’ll then have to figure out how to use this power to advance through the next portion of the level.

Combine borrowed powers and the ability to interact with flues, boulders, logs, winches, creatures (both big and small), a labyrinth like forest and even a demon Tanglewood will feel fresh and terrifying every step of the way.

Check out the official Big Evil Corporation Tanglewood Trailer:

Below is my own longplay of Tanglewood recorded direct from my Sega Genesis. I managed to collect all Fireflies to unlock the good ending. And it really is the ending I needed! But don’t spoil the game for yourself. Play Tanglewood and enjoy it firsthand.

No fooling around here people. Unless COD and Battlefield are the only games you care about; Tanglewood is a must own game.

If you enjoy retro video games you owe it to yourself to pickup Tanglewood. It’s an incredibly detailed, polished and fully realized video game. And despite coming from a small Indie Developer Tanglewood is so much bigger than I could have ever dreamed.

I don’t normally put a number on the games I talk about but for Tanglewood I’m compelled to give is a full on 10/10. As far as human kinds reach for perfection can extend Tanglewood has thoroughly earned this perfect score.

Order Tanglewood for your Sega Mega Drive and Sega Genesis

Or purchase Tanglewood on Steam.

Tanglewood Cover Art by Luis Martins.

Pick-Ups – Game X 2.0 Game Swap June 2018

Posted by Sega Dude on July 10, 2018

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, Genesis (North America), SEGA. Tagged: Battlecorps, BC Racers, Breaking the Seal, Ecco the Dolphin, Flink, genesis, Heart of the Alien, Pitfall, sega, sega cd. 17 Comments

For a while I thought it must be too late to get into the Sega CD. I believed most worthwhile games were likely rare and expensive by now. Of course, like all retro consoles every system has some genuinely rare games but over the past few months I’ve learned that Sega CD games are not as uncommon as I thought.

At last months Game X 2.0 Game Swap I managed trade for three somewhat pricier games and I purchased another four with very friendly price tags.

I traded eighteen complete Gameboy Advance games (Click for List) for the first three Sega CD games pictured below, (Flink, Heart of the Alien and BC Racers) plus $50 CAD (~$38 USD).
*This has been my third time working out a trade with Peter from P Market Games.

After this trade my GBA collection is now whittled down my bare essentials and I’ll be keeping what’s left. I’ll post my GBA collection another time.

The remaining four games I found from a guy at the Swap who was down sizing his personal collection and was kind enough to pass along some really nice deals. The total came to $77 CAD (~$60 USD) for all four:

Ecco the Dolphin $30 CAD (~$23 USD)
Battlecorps $20 CAD (~$15 USD)
Pitfall $8 CAD (~$6 USD)
Brutal Paws $15 CAD (~$12 USD)

I paid an extra $4 because he let me swap a cracked case for a nicer one; which was generous of him.
Unfortunately it’s very common to find broken Sega CD cases.

It felt awesome coming home with seven Sega CD games to add to the collection. I was excepting just two as I had semi-arranged the GBA trade ahead of time.

I was also selling at this game swap thanks to a friend who shared his table with me. I actually sold more than I bought and I ended up being in the black; which was a crazy twist that I was not expecting.

The highlights of these new additions are Heart of the Alien, Flink and Ecco the Dolphin.

What I didn’t realize until the sellers pointed it out to me was that two of these Sega CD games were factory sealed; Ecco the Dolphin and BC Racers.

I can’t be certain that it’s true and they’re not just re-shrink wrapped but just in case I decided to record the unwrapping. If these were actually factory sealed games it would be cool to capture how they were originally packaged and what they originally came with.

Edit: More recently I picked up a factory sealed Road Rash for the Sega CD. Found it for $50 CAD (~$38 USD) from my local classifieds. I’ve added it to the ‘breaking the seal’ video below.

Did you notice that after unwrapping Ecco the Dolphin that there was no foam brick in the case? To me, that’s a possible indicator that maybe this game might not have been factory sealed. Although, I have heard that not all Sega CD games came with a foam brick.

I posed this question at sega-16.com and I got some mixed replies. It will be very hard to make a determination unless we start seeing more ‘Breaking the Seal’ videos for Sega CD games. The good news is that it doesn’t really matter. It’s just something fun to explore.

You know what else is fun? Having a kick-ass Sega CD collection. Sure, I don’t have the Holly Grail’s like Keio Flying Squadron or Space Adventure but I do have a good bunch of worth while games.

I’ve been able to steer clear of Full Motion Video (FMV) games because they don’t really appeal to me. In fact, the same seller who sold me the bundle of four games had a complete set of Sega CD 32X games for sale at a super friendly price. I was very temped but I passed them up. I don’t want to end up chasing a full set.

Instead I’ve made a list of the games I’d like to find some day. The ones marked with * being the eight I’m most interested in.

01) Dungeon Explorer*
02) Earthworm Jim*
03) Flashback*
04) Hook
05) Keio Flying Squadron*
06) Lords of Thunder*
~~07) Mickey Mania~~
~~08) Mortal Kombat~~
~~09) Prince of Persia~~
10) Road Blaster / Road Avenger*
~~11) Road Rash~~
12) Shinning Force CD*
13) Space Adventure*
14) Time Gal*

*As of the end of 2019 the above crossed out games have now been added to my collection.

Yes, I know I said I want to stay away from FMV games and there are some in my wish list. But in my eyes many of the animated FMV games really seem to translate into better games than the ones with live actors. I feel games like Road Avenger and Time Gal belong along side titles like Dragon Slayer and Space Ace and should be sub-classified as either FMV-Animated or FMV-LiveAction.

Did you know that about four years ago I passed up a complete Keio Flying Squadron for $200 CAD (~$152 USD)?
Has Keio gone up in price? I can’t look. You look for me; pricecharting.com.
Argh… I’m sure we all have a story like that.

Any Sega CD gamers out there? What are some of your favorite Sega CD Games?

Pick-Ups – Retro Game Bros. Sega CD

Posted by Sega Dude on June 23, 2018

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, SEGA. Tagged: Dark Wizard, Mega CD, Retro Game Bros., Robo Aleste, sega cd. Leave a comment

On Saturday June 16th one of my favorite retro video game shops put on a cool summer sale. The main event being 20% off everything. I know Retro Game Bros well and I know they already have good prices so this sale peaked my interest.

It was a lazy Saturday for me so I left early and arrived at Retro Game Bros about 30 minutes before they opened. I had no expectations in mind so I was surprised to find a line up outside the store. I shouldn’t have been surprised. My home town of Toronto has a huge nerd population and despite waiting about one hour before getting in time flew by as I chatted up fellow retro gamers.

I was number 29 in line (totally scored a loot bag) and because the store can only accommodate a small number of people at a time we had to wait as a handful of people entered and exited in about 10 minute intervals.

I salute those of you who arrived two hours before opening! Whatever you picked up you thoroughly earned.

As for myself (once I got in) all my money was spent after gazing into the very first display case I walked up to.

The Retro Game Bros prices for Dark Wizard and Robo Aleste are the lowest I’ve seen at Retro Stores and local Game Swaps. I’ve come accustomed to seeing Dark Wizard being priced at $80 CAD and Robo Aleste at $200 CAD; despite pricecharting.com showing a complete Aleste for $110 USD (~$145 CAD).

Combine the best prices I’ve encounter with an additional 20% off and things were feeling very good over at Retro Game Bros. Dark Wizard ended up costing me $63 CAD with tax (~$48 USD) and Robo Aleste rang in at $163 CAD (~$123 USD) with tax.

As much as I wanted to continue to take advantage of this one day sale I felt like I had spent enough and it was time to reign it in. I did have my eye on several other items but they will have to wait for another time.

Thank you Retro Game Bros! The way you guys make me feel is second only to wild kinky sex… or is wild kinky sex second only to you two? I’m not sure which way around, because it’s really that close.

Pick-Ups – SegaScope 3-D

Posted by Sega Dude on June 18, 2018

Posted in: Games, Hardware, SEGA, Sega Master System. Tagged: boxed, master system, sega, SegaScope 3-D. Leave a comment

This is my new SegaScope 3-D System. It’s one of three different Sega Master System bundles that I remember seeing in Canada back when the system was new. It was the least common and carried the highest price tag because it includes Sega’s very cool (but under used) 3D Glasses.

There is another variant of this bundle showing a young Dude wearing a yellow sweat shirt and includes Missile Defense 3-D on cartridge compared to this variant with the Dude wearing a red shirt which has Missile Defense built into the console (BIOS v4.4).

The only time I’ve ever seen any SegaSCope 3-D bundle in person (since the 80’s) is on display at retro video game shops. And often on those few encounters the box was roughed up and/or empty.

So I was surprised when I found it locally but not surprised by the high asking price.

Sure, it’s super cool and hard to find but it’s not worth $500 CAD (~$380 USD). It was also a 1.5 hours drive away so I wasn’t incredibly motivated. I sent an offer of $300 CAD but the seller didn’t want to let it go. And that was the end of it for a while.

I actually wanted to offer $200 but if the seller was willing I’m sure it would have sold very quickly at that price. I felt an additional $100 was needed in order to stand any kind of a chance.

After several weeks I made my offer again and the seller wanted to meet me at $400. But for me personally even $300 (~$227 USD) felt like a lot of money so I stuck to my price and eventually he agreed.

The next challenge was dealing with three hours of driving to get it. But when I took a closer look at the sellers location I realized that a very close friend lives in the area. I called him and he was willing to drop everything and head over to meet up and make the exchange. He even spotted me the $300. That’s a sign of an exceptionally good friend. Next time we got together I received my pricey but very cool SegaScope 3-D System bundle.

It’s almost complete. With the exception of the power supply everything appears to be included. Not visible and sitting behind the 3-D Glasses adapter are the coaxial and VHF adapters. All of the hardware is in excellent shape and is in perfect working order.

I don’t know for certain what originally came with the system but there is a manual for each component and for the built in Missile Defense 3-D game. The Styrofoam is not in perfect shape but it’s whole enough and I believe a Styrofoam cover is missing.

The back and the sides of the box have the worst of the damage. There is a cluster of puncher marks on the back near the top and the flaps on the sides are well used and torn in places.

However, it displays very well and it’s really the best condition SegaScope 3-D System that I’ve ever seen in person so I’m pleased that it’s mine.

I will admit that I still feel a little conflicted on how much I spent on this sucker. The other two boxed Sega Master Systems cost me ~$40 CAD (I think; it was decades ago) and $100 CAD for the Hang-On/Safari Hunt version.

Pick-Ups – The Lion King, Pitfall and Pac-Man 2

Posted by Sega Dude on June 12, 2018

Posted in: Collection New Additions, Games, Genesis (North America), SEGA. Tagged: genesis, Lion King, Pac-Man 2, Pitfall, sega. Leave a comment

Just last week on my local classifieds (kijiji.ca) I found a single listing for three complete Sega Genesis games in a lot for $60 CAD (~$46 USD). I was a fun surprise to see that I didn’t have any of these games.

I was most interested in the Lion King as it’s one of the games that influenced Matt Phillips of Big Evil Corporation in his creation of the newly developed Sega Genesis and Sega Mega Drive game Tanglewood.

I’m actually pretty surprised that the Lion King didn’t find it’s way into my collection a lot sooner. It’s one of several very popular Disney games for the Sega Genesis.

I tried it out and got to just level two where I’m learning there is going to be some serious trial and error here to get through the stage. Both the graphics and music are outstanding and this is a great addition to the collection.