The SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge Starts Tomorrow!

Dust off that old Genesis, because tomorrow kicks off the SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge. Three months, three games, starting with the game that established SEGA's mascot for the 90's--Sonic the Hedgehog.

Over the next month, Jason and I will be checking in on the SI forums, as well as with a couple of podcast segments, so get playing!

Get Ready for the SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge!

It’s time to start doing thumb push-ups, and getting your 16-bit self in shape, as the SEGAmaniacal Summer Challenge starts in a couple weeks.

Last year, we took 3 NES classics and played them during the summer months. This year, we’re giving the same love to SEGA’s 16-bit masterpiece of a console. Three months, three games, a summer of awesome.

First up in June is “Sonic the Hedgehog” (1991). The mascot of of the SEGA Genesis, Sonic’s blend of speed and platforming was like nothing that came before it. Despite the fact that the series has gone downhill over the years, the original is still amazing.

“Streets of Rage” (1991) will be punching players in the face during the month of July. The side-scrolling brawler let’s you take on the role of either Adam Hunter, Axel Stone or Blaze Fielding, three rogue cops trying to clean up the gang-ridden streets of the city.

Everyone knows that August is the month of the Ninja, and this year will be no different. “Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master” (1993) is a fitting game to round out this year's trilogy. It combines the platforming and brawling of our first two games, and adds in some ninja flavor to make a casserole of carnage.

All three of this year’s games can be found on “Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection” for the PS3 and Xbox 360. You can also find some of them on Wii Virtual Console, Steam, or iPhone and iPad. And let’s not forget, you could dust off your old Genesis and play the original carts themselves. Either way, you have a couple of weeks to get your games before we kick things off in the first week of June.

Get ready!

Gameboy Advance Time Machine

I really enjoy all the Famicon style designs Nintendo came out with in Japan back in the day. I loved the American version as well, but there's something really cool about these designs. The other really cool thing about early Nintendo in Japan is that they came out with all sorts of insane accessories. Later in the game, Nintendo actually created a "GBA Time Machine." I assume it was Nintendo and not a third party. It allows you to play your NES carts right on your GBA. Now, you can get a tiny card that supports micro SD slots to do the same thing via ROMs. But the fact that you can play your own carts and show off your coolness to all the other retro gaming nerds, makes me want one even more.

Getting My SEGA Supplies in Order

I'm rummaging through my SEGA supplies. I have three SEGA Genisis Sytems but only one works. I'm trying to find the AC adapter for it, but I can't find it. You don't want to use just ANY AC adapter on an ancient unit like this. The last thing you want is to blow your system. I may need to order one off of Amazon. I also found all the original discs that came with it. I have my Night Trap, My SEGA Classics and even the music CDs. I forgot all about the Sherlock Holmes game that came with it. They gave you A LOT of media with the SEGA CD. I remember that Christmas morning well. Good times.

In a week or so I will put up some pics of my system and various controllers. Need to get it functioning before I show it off.

GIANT PACMAN GAME!

I have not had a chance to fully explore this website, but the title "World's Biggest Pacman" pretty much sums it up. When you visit the site you are greated with THOUSANDS of gameboards. Click on one to begin. Each one is connect to another. You could munch power pellets all day! You can sync up with facebook and post your records. A really neat idea. If you're logged into facebook, you can even create your own levels.

One thing I want to explore more is the AI. The original pacman had great AI. Each ghost was different and various parts of the board yielded pros and cons. Also, when you head through a warp tube, ghosts slow down when following you. I'm not sure they even follow you in this version. To check it out, visit the link below! Enjoy!

http://worldsbiggestpacman.com/