http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDX4yjRv2RI
Another great YouTube upload from Grooveraider. This time, it's a US promotional video for the Sega Genesis from March 1990. Enjoy.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDX4yjRv2RI
Another great YouTube upload from Grooveraider. This time, it's a US promotional video for the Sega Genesis from March 1990. Enjoy.
That Rocky game on the Sega Master System, doesn't look any worse than a lot of similar Super Nintendo games. Just goes to show you how far behind Nintendo really was, but just covered it up with the usage of more colors and phoney hi-fi sound.
The Model 1 Genesis zooming across the screen made me continuously LOL. Reminds me of one of Joe's vids that I've seen.
Nice video shilling the Genny's first-gen library. Take a look at that horrendous list of third-parties they had working for them circa-March 1990. I don't recall Microprose or Spectrum Holobyte developing anything for the Genesis in that time period, or Epyx. Those early days looked quite sad and barren in retrospect. How did you early Genny adopters get by with such a drought in software???
All this promotional work was a product of the Michael Katz regime wasn't it???
too many sports games there
That video was awesome.
However, to me the New Generation is Alex, Dudley, Sean, Elena, Yun, Yang, Oro, Necro and Ibuki. :p
The Rambo part made me cringe.
Perhaps that simply meant that they had been signed as a third-party publisher, not that they actually had anything out. Or maybe they each had an early game that was canceled, or delayed. For Microprose, perhaps the original F-15 Strike Eagle was meant to get a Genesis port (the sequel eventually did, and the original was put on Game Gear). For Epyx, maybe California Games was supposed to come out earlier (it came out in early '91). Maybe Spectrum Holobyte had planned a Genesis port of Falcon AT or something.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aarzak
What's really weird is that their list excludes a bunch: Namco, Renovation, Sage's Creation, Taito, Midway, Toaplan, Data East. All of those companies released a Genesis game in 1990.
I was somewhat amused by the video, the game announcer tries to make the games sound better than they are.
Or in the case of Golden Axe gives a slightly inaccurate description >.>
Quote:
Originally Posted by j_factor
Well, I meant horrendous in that it was pathetically small and included B & C-list developers. And we all know the reason for all of that.
I wasn't responding to the "horrendous" comment, I was responding to "I don't recall Microprose or Spectrum Holobyte developing anything for the Genesis in that time period, or Epyx."
And actually, we don't know the reason for all of that -- that's the point I was making in my last two sentences. Why didn't they mention those other companies?
The rest of the companies were first mentioned I believe when Sega introduced their "Sega Genesis Seal of Quality" and modified Genesis logo (w/the "16-Bit Cartridge" at the bottom, even though some companies didn't use it and used the old, 1st-gen one) in mid-1990. At least that's when Sega began advertising them. Third-party development for the Mega Drive in Japan was JUST starting to pick up in 1990, as it was Sega alone for the most part that was releasing software for the MD in its first year.
- Notice all the companies are American.
- Surprised nobody mentioned Activision. They never released anything for the Genesis until 1994. They were supposed to release Tongue of the Fatman/Mondu's Fight Palace and Hard Yardage around the time of this video, but never did, most likely because they were having financial problems. I think Tongue/Mondu was the first American third-party game announced. It was eventually released by Razorsoft as Slaughter Sport.
- Epyx: An old Usenet post from February 1990 mentions California Games II. There's also Slime World, published by Renovation.
- Spectrum Holobyte: A conversion of 'Vette! was on tap, but not released.
I never gave a flying fuck about third party games.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aarzak
Besides: Revenge of Shinobi, Golden Axe, Mystic Defender, Forgotten Worlds, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, Phantasy Star II, Thunder Force II.... - Doesn't look so bad if you ask me... :p
"We've got you your Golden Axe!"
If I had the choice between the arcade cabinet and the megadrive, I know which one I'D pick! :p
I love how they did the side-by-side arcade-genesis comparisons. Only a half a second for each game. Just enough time to not notice the difference between them.
That video was total perfection.
I want that background music so I can play it while I give tours of my vast estate.
According to EGM #3, Falcon was in the works.Quote:
Originally Posted by j_factor
I remember seeing a Genesis promo video with Vette on it. It showed a rotating polygon car. Is that video anywhere on Youtube?
I remember seeing a video similar to this directed towards people working in the marketing department in Sega UK. I'd give you the link but Youtube feels the need to give in to the demands of the copyright whiners.
Activision had actually published games for SMS. They were the only third-party SMS publisher in North America. They went through a huge shake-up in the early 90s, though. But I imagine that they'd been on-board for the Genesis right off the bat.Quote:
Originally Posted by CRV
Don't forget Parker Bros who rocked your world with "Where the F is Came San Francisco?" for the SMS.
Actually, the whole Parker Bros. thing was kind of fake. They only released SMS games during the time when it was handled by Tonka. Parker Bros. and Tonka were under the same ownership.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Redifer
I'm pretty sure Sega published the Activision games as well (providing boxes, carts, inserts, etc). They were probably only distributed by Activision, nothing more. They sure as hell didn't program anything or pay for any development costs.
taito programmed rASStan, but Sega distributed it.
Yep, all while Nintendo was riding the gravy train and hogging all of the third-parties to themselves.
I often wonder what all those third-parties could've done with the superior SMS hardware, though I also wonder if the SMS had the ability to be as expandable as the NES, which far surpassed its original specs' capabilities with all of those MMC chips and whatnot in 'dem carts (or "Game Paks").
I admire Sega's efforts for re-launching the SMS in 1990 and trying to push it like it was never pushed, but it was too little, too late.
I dunno, the Activision games have really different-looking packaging and stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Redifer
In light of Joe's post, I contacted Tom Sloper, who was the producer on those SMS games at Activision. They were indeed published by Activision, not just distributed.Quote:
Originally Posted by j_factor
Oddly enough there are technically three 3rd party games in that list.Quote:
Originally Posted by Christuserloeser
They had to at least order their boxes and cart casings from Sega. Probably the boards, too.
Didn't everybody?Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Redifer
That is what Nintendo's definition of 3rd party, becuase it says in their Nintendo liscense every cartridge has to be made by Nintendo themselves.Quote:
Originally Posted by CRV
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aarzak
Microprose F-15 Strike Eagle II was announced for Genesis in either very late 1989 or early 1990. There was a preview for it in EGM and I saw footage of that game and Vette! (a Corvette simulator) on videotape at Toys R US in early 1990. Although probably it was footage of the PC or Amiga versions.
F-15 Strike Eagle II didn't get released on Genesis until 1993 and Vette! was canceled.
Spectrum Holobyte was apparently bringing the original Falcon to Genesis, it was mentioned in EGM #3 August/September 1989 but it also never got released.
Falcon 3.0 was also supposed to be released on SNES but it too, was canceled.
Early 1990 saw the release of two of the best first-generation Genesis games
Herzog Zwei and Phantasy Star II.
That video reminds me of two promo posters i got in the 90ies. One with Genesis games and one with Mastersystem Games which were available at the time.
Anyone remember the Sonic 2 watch ?
Back in 1991, I used to hit old people with folding chairs.
My interview with Tom Sloper is up. He talks about the Master System stuff and a little bit about Genesis stuff.
I just watched a gameplay video of the Arcade version of Golden Axe. The part where they grabbed the "if you think they look the same, your right" clip from, it looks like Sega delibretely made that one part of the game to have less detailed graphics than the rest of the game, just to make that comparison look convincing.
I'm looking for that video now.
the part where the sky turns orange, notice how the background disapears into one color like the Sega Genesis version
Great interview! This is interesting:Quote:
Originally Posted by CRV
Quote:
GDRI: You co-produced the Genesis version of Mondu's Fight Palace (which eventually was released as Slaughter Sport). Do you know who developed that? Can I assume that was another victim of the problems at Mediagenic?
TS: It was developed completely internally. Bruce had the studio kick off development on video game consoles internally and at the time, I was the only producer in video games. I was the guy who was supposed to oversee all those internal projects and all the video game projects we were doing in Japan. I was sent to work in the Japan office, thank goodness, so I wasn't present for the fun that followed.
I've been speaking recently to someone who was there for what followed after Sloper left and the effect the Joe Montana debacle had on SP's development. He didn't know the game had been eventually released.
Nice interview, CRV!
Thanks.Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Redifer
(Two more questions added, BTW)