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Sega Sorta Christmas 2012
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Kendrick Kerwin Chua
Dec 23, 2012, 8:02:35 PM12/23/12
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It's a Sega Sorta Christmas in 2012. Every year we confuse NNTP
aggregators by posting about the qualities and activities of our winter
holidays that were colored by our favorite game developer and publisher.
How Sega was your Christmas this year?
I've been behind on new releases in the gaming world, partly because of
old age and partly because my priorities are shifting. So forgive me for
making Sonic Colors my major game activity this December. We're all
familiar with the Sonic cycle now, which arcs from anticipation to
disappointment and back again with each new release. But with Sonic Colors
I feel like the pattern has been broken, at least partially. I haven't
really been able to put the game down, or walk away from it like I did
Shadow or Heroes or Secret Rings. Basic 2D platforming (with only
occasional 3D challenges) and a power-up scheme that's consistent and not
based on sidekicks or collecting. I haven't yet played Generations or
given Unleashed a fair shot, but it's my firm impression that Colors is
the best one we've seen in quite a long while.
As usual, the rest of my Sega Christmas is perfectly retro. Sonic Spinball
occupied me for nearly four hours (!) this past weekend, after I repaired
a Gamecube Gameboy Player accessory in a manly and clever way. That's one
of the games on the GBA version of the Smash Pack, which bizarrely
includes Ecco the Dolphin and Golden Axe. GBA games have been really cheap
lately now that the DS is fully entrenched, and looking at the pile of
purchases this year I'm astonished at how much of the Gameboy Advance
library had Sega ports in it. Crazy Taxi Catch a Ride, the Phantasy Star
collection, any number of Sonic variants too. And this Lunar cartridge
deserves special mention even though Sega had nothing to do with it.
The most interesting Sega experience this year was finally getting the PC
version of Last Bronx to run on my gaming machine this past Saturday. This
port was released by Expert Software, Sega's old budget desktop software
division. It had a hard-coded version check in it that used a less-than
operator to validate the OS, instead of a greater-than. That meant if you
were running Windows NT 4.0 or higher, you couldn't install. That sadly
included Windows XP, Vista and 7. But I finally hacked my way around it
(easier than I thought, because it needed two Compatibility Mode settings
instead of just one) and now Yoko is merrily bashing heads with her tonfa
in glorious full 640 by 480 resolution. Of all the forgotten Sega
proprties, this is one I'd like to see revisited in HD the most.
I used to make a big point of playing Christmas Nights every year, but the
last couple of years I've missed powering on the Saturn because I was out
of the house for one reason or another. Ted says the Christmas Nights
functionality is included in the later Wii or Steam PC ports?
So how Sega was your Christmas? And what are you doing still subscribed to
this newsgroup? :)
-KKC, who may have a new laptop to play with on Monday. Last Bronx Mobile!
--
-- "I don't like the real world, at all. I've probably mentioned |
this a few hundred times before. It's tedious, it's dreary, | kendrick
it's dominated by morons, nobody can fly and all the | @io-nyc
dinosaurs are dead. Seriously, **** this place." - Bob Chipman | .com
aggregators by posting about the qualities and activities of our winter
holidays that were colored by our favorite game developer and publisher.
How Sega was your Christmas this year?
I've been behind on new releases in the gaming world, partly because of
old age and partly because my priorities are shifting. So forgive me for
making Sonic Colors my major game activity this December. We're all
familiar with the Sonic cycle now, which arcs from anticipation to
disappointment and back again with each new release. But with Sonic Colors
I feel like the pattern has been broken, at least partially. I haven't
really been able to put the game down, or walk away from it like I did
Shadow or Heroes or Secret Rings. Basic 2D platforming (with only
occasional 3D challenges) and a power-up scheme that's consistent and not
based on sidekicks or collecting. I haven't yet played Generations or
given Unleashed a fair shot, but it's my firm impression that Colors is
the best one we've seen in quite a long while.
As usual, the rest of my Sega Christmas is perfectly retro. Sonic Spinball
occupied me for nearly four hours (!) this past weekend, after I repaired
a Gamecube Gameboy Player accessory in a manly and clever way. That's one
of the games on the GBA version of the Smash Pack, which bizarrely
includes Ecco the Dolphin and Golden Axe. GBA games have been really cheap
lately now that the DS is fully entrenched, and looking at the pile of
purchases this year I'm astonished at how much of the Gameboy Advance
library had Sega ports in it. Crazy Taxi Catch a Ride, the Phantasy Star
collection, any number of Sonic variants too. And this Lunar cartridge
deserves special mention even though Sega had nothing to do with it.
The most interesting Sega experience this year was finally getting the PC
version of Last Bronx to run on my gaming machine this past Saturday. This
port was released by Expert Software, Sega's old budget desktop software
division. It had a hard-coded version check in it that used a less-than
operator to validate the OS, instead of a greater-than. That meant if you
were running Windows NT 4.0 or higher, you couldn't install. That sadly
included Windows XP, Vista and 7. But I finally hacked my way around it
(easier than I thought, because it needed two Compatibility Mode settings
instead of just one) and now Yoko is merrily bashing heads with her tonfa
in glorious full 640 by 480 resolution. Of all the forgotten Sega
proprties, this is one I'd like to see revisited in HD the most.
I used to make a big point of playing Christmas Nights every year, but the
last couple of years I've missed powering on the Saturn because I was out
of the house for one reason or another. Ted says the Christmas Nights
functionality is included in the later Wii or Steam PC ports?
So how Sega was your Christmas? And what are you doing still subscribed to
this newsgroup? :)
-KKC, who may have a new laptop to play with on Monday. Last Bronx Mobile!
--
-- "I don't like the real world, at all. I've probably mentioned |
this a few hundred times before. It's tedious, it's dreary, | kendrick
it's dominated by morons, nobody can fly and all the | @io-nyc
dinosaurs are dead. Seriously, **** this place." - Bob Chipman | .com
Scott H
Dec 31, 2012, 9:27:43 PM12/31/12
to
On 12/23/2012 7:02 PM, Kendrick Kerwin Chua wrote:> It's a Sega Sorta
Gah, lame, I had a response typed up last week, got sick and lost it
before finishing it up. I got Zaxxon Motherbase 2000 (Complete), along
with Robocop vs. Terminator, Judge Dredd, Greatest Heavyweights (All
Cart Only), and Jennifer Capriati Tennis (Boxed).
Not bad overall, I haven't ended up playing any of it yet though.
--
Scott
http://www.gamepilgrimage.com
before finishing it up. I got Zaxxon Motherbase 2000 (Complete), along
with Robocop vs. Terminator, Judge Dredd, Greatest Heavyweights (All
Cart Only), and Jennifer Capriati Tennis (Boxed).
Not bad overall, I haven't ended up playing any of it yet though.
--
Scott
http://www.gamepilgrimage.com
Benjamin
Jan 7, 2013, 3:42:41 AM1/7/13
to
On Sunday, December 23, 2012 7:02:35 PM UTC-6, Kendrick Kerwin Chua wrote:
<snerp>
> So how Sega was your Christmas? And what are you doing still subscribed to
>
> this newsgroup? :)
I still check here from time to time frankly because I miss it, or at least how it was back when Sega had hardware to peddle. There's no good, centralized Sega discussion forum out there which appeals to me. I suppose sega.com should be it. I dunno. Still wonder what a few people are up to.
Sonic Colors is very nice as is Sonic Generations. I rather enjoyed the latter, but it still unnerves me that Sega still to this day cannot get the Genesis Sonic physics right. The 2-D portions of Generations (and Unleashed to that extent) are still enjoyable, but they still are too bogged down in a restrictive physics engine and QTE route changing to come anywhere near the early Sonic games. If you can set aside your expectations on that a 2-D Sonic game should be, then they're quite enjoyable. Same goes for Sonic Rush on that note, too.
I've been enjoying the Sega Vintage Collections and Dreamcast releases on Xbox 360. I've completed the Monster World and Streets of Rage collections as well as played a good bit of Space Channel 5 Pt. II and Crazy Taxi over the holidays. I really miss the Sega of old. :/ I will say that video games aren't as bleak as they felt coming out of the Dreamcast's collapse, but that's a torch largely picked up by indie developers. Fez, Dust: An Elysian Tale, Trials Evolution, Spelunky, and a few others made 2012 worthwhile for me -- Sega, Namco, and Konami not so much.
Ben
<snerp>
> So how Sega was your Christmas? And what are you doing still subscribed to
>
> this newsgroup? :)
Sonic Colors is very nice as is Sonic Generations. I rather enjoyed the latter, but it still unnerves me that Sega still to this day cannot get the Genesis Sonic physics right. The 2-D portions of Generations (and Unleashed to that extent) are still enjoyable, but they still are too bogged down in a restrictive physics engine and QTE route changing to come anywhere near the early Sonic games. If you can set aside your expectations on that a 2-D Sonic game should be, then they're quite enjoyable. Same goes for Sonic Rush on that note, too.
I've been enjoying the Sega Vintage Collections and Dreamcast releases on Xbox 360. I've completed the Monster World and Streets of Rage collections as well as played a good bit of Space Channel 5 Pt. II and Crazy Taxi over the holidays. I really miss the Sega of old. :/ I will say that video games aren't as bleak as they felt coming out of the Dreamcast's collapse, but that's a torch largely picked up by indie developers. Fez, Dust: An Elysian Tale, Trials Evolution, Spelunky, and a few others made 2012 worthwhile for me -- Sega, Namco, and Konami not so much.
Ben
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