ISSUE 03 / APR 2022
master system
Game Gear
mega drive
mega cd
32x
saturn
dreamcast
contents issue 3 / april 2022 17
64
59
62
features 17 shenmue
A game as important deserves a big feature, and that’s exactly what we’ve done with Shenmue. Secrets, the history of the game, gamer feedback and a competition to win a brand-new Ryo statue. The fun starts on page 17.
59 viva la master system!
You may think that the Master System has been dead for decades, but the truth is that it’s been living the high life in South America…
62 Special brew
A visual novel, loads more Lara and some red-hot tank action. All that plus an interview with the team behind Shadow Gangs in the section that could only be called Special Brew.
04 / S E G A P O W E R E D
64 The great sega mag race
For those of you that don’t already know this, SEGA Powered’s very own Marc Jowett has been collecting SEGA magazines for some years now – both building his own collection and with a partner as SegaMags. Find out more about his incredible collection starting on page 64.
68 blast from the past: Paul Davies
This month we grab the ever-busy Paul Davies – of Mean Machines and Computer & Video Games fame – for a quick chat about the ‘good old days’ of gaming magazines, where you could pick up a copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga for tuppence and every lunchtime was a free banquet courtesy of yet another PR visit.
www.segapowered.com
42
06
36
regulars 06 power play
Bits of news, the odd feature or two and the occasional strange bit – all revolving around the world we call ‘SEGA’.
31 the gamers’ guide to: Horror games
Take two experts of a particular genre and see what they believe to be its shiniest of shining examples. This month: Things that rumble in the night – or simply Horror games if you prefer.
72 the hardline
reviews/RE-REVIEWS 36 The house of the dead: remake (switch)
Fantastic in the arcades and superb on the Saturn, but is this new Switch update worth shouting about?
42 xenocider (DC)
No cider in this one – plenty of aliens, though.
40 shenmue (DC)
A whopping six-page review of our cover star this month.
46 crazy taxi (dc)
A solid-gold classic for the Dreamcast on release, but are we still tempted to flag this one down for a ride?
48 quackshot (MD)
Platform perfection? It certainly used to be, but has time been kind to Donald?
50 sega worldwide soccer ’97 (saturn) Jumpers-for-goalposts-3-and-ingame-of-two-halves, etc.
April 2022
52 streets of rage 2 (MD) We thought we’d be extra nice to Paul this month and give him one of his favourite games to review. Art Alive! has already been nabbed by Marc, so we gave him this load of ol’ crapola.
54 sonic cd (McD)
One of the Mega-CD’s finest moments gets the re-review treatment courtesy of Retro Faith.
Based on the old Hardline from Sega Power, this is a breakdown of the games we think you should own. Disagree? Write in and let us know.
76 retro shows
Events going on around the UK, including conventions, fairs and anything else with ‘Retro’ and ‘Gaming’ in the title.
78 community
There’s a massive retro community out there, and it’s filled with lovely gamers just like you. We’ll show you the shops to visit and, this month, the podcasts to listen to on your way there.
56 slider (gg)
Never heard of it? We’re not surprised, but there’s a sentimental reason why Marc wanted to review it.
57 r-type (Ms)
Proof that you can do a half-decent shmup on the Master System. We let Neil, our resident shmup expert, loose on this one.
58 blackthorne (32x)
Two cider-related games reviewed in a single issue. It’s a sign! It’s the Universe telling me to DRINK. MORE. CIDER!
S E G A P O W E R E D / 05
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fortheages ...old news, new view
16 / S E G A P O W E R E D
“
“
The reaction to seeing this monster in 1991 is pretty much the same in 2022 – ‘not if you paid me’
www.segapowered.com
feature
WIN A STUNNING RYO STATUE!
Turn to page 23 now
L
April 2022
ove it or hate it, there’s no denying that Shenmue has been one of the most interesting and innovative games of the past 25 years. The review comes later, but first we’re going to look at the fascinating history behind the game, get some comments from the people who have adored it for decades, uncover some secrets, and find out more about the guys who loved the game so much they decided to bring out a magazine covering the whole Shenmue series S E G A P O W E R E D / 17
[game paused]
memorybank
...everything SEGA you’d ever forgotten
“
Before it took AGES, SEGA and Virgin got together to run this crime rhyme across UK papers and TVs. SEGA was coming...
“
34 / S E G A P O W E R E D
www.segapowered.com
reviews intro
reviews
separating the gaming wheat from the chaff reviews
40
36 the house of the dead: remake (Switch) 38 xenocider (DC)
re-Reviews 40 shenmue (DC) 46 crazy taxi (DC) 48 quackshot (MD) 50 sega worldwide soccer ’97 (saturn) 52 streets of rage 2 (MD) 54 sonic cd (McD) 56 slider (gg)
36
46
57 r-type (Ms) 58 blackthorne (32x)
50
57
The sega Powered guide to reviewing
April 2022
Our Reviews section is split into two parts…
scored seven or above can be regarded as a hit in our book.
REVIEWS
RE-REVIEWS
New games, basically. Either official SEGA titles, third-party licensed ones or Indie gems. Scores are out of 10, and anything
Here’s where we take a look at older titles with fresh eyes. Aged badly? Improved over time? We’ll let you know.
S E G A P O W E R E D / 35
shenmue
REVIEWED ON
Top of Dean’s ‘never played’ list for way more years than it should’ve been, what better way to celebrate this month’s cover star than by popping the editor’s Shenmue cherry?
INFO
S
Release Date
December 2000
Publisher SEGA
Developer SEGA AM2
Expect to pay £25+
Other Versions
Xbox Family, PC, PS4
o I’ve harboured a secret for many years now. While cooler gamers around me first got excited about Shenmue, then went out and bought it, played it to completion and had endless discussions about the characters they’d met and the jobs they’d undertaken, I could only smile approvingly from time to time before slowly backing into a metaphorical hedge – much like an over-used Homer Simpson meme. Y’see, while the cool kids were playing a genuinely genre-defining game, I was farting about on the PlayStation earning a crust as a freelance games reviewer. I’d never actually played Shenmue. Things like ‘open-worlds’ and geographically accurate weather conditions meant nothing to me, because I had a fourpage review and guide to do for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. Then, as time went on, the Shenmue chat became a distant voice on the wind. You’d catch the occasional mention of ‘Ryo…’, ‘Forked-lift races…’ or ‘Virtua Fighter vending machines…’
but the talk had moved on, as had gaming in general. The Dreamcast died, new consoles were born, and Shenmue became a footnote in videogame history. An impressive footnote, admittedly, but aside from the hardcore fans demanded Shenmue III, everyone was now more concerned about when the PlayStation 5 was coming out, and why the new Xbox looked like an oversized Bluetooth speaker. But Shenmue wasn’t done with me yet. As soon as SEGA Powered became ‘a thing’, I knew I would once again have to face my old nemesis. But how could I possibly play it now? 20-odd years later, and with numerous open-world, lifesimulating games under my belt? It was surely going to be a disappointment, wasn’t it? Then talk came of doing a feature/ review for issue three – ‘The fans’ll love it!’, ‘It’ll make a great cover!’, ‘Dean, you’ve never played it. You have to do the review and pop your Shenmue cherry!’ That was it. The time had come and I was going in; this time there was no hedge to hide away in…
If they ever do a Shenmue pantomime then this would be when you boo 40 / S E G A P O W E R E D
www.segapowered.com
re-review
April 2022
S E G A P O W E R E D / 41
re-review
REVIEWED ON
blackthorne
Paul jumped at the chance to take another look at a game that has often been described as a hidden gem. Was this 32X version a worthy upgrade on the 16-bit original, or is this ‘gem’ best kept hidden?
INFO
Release Date September 1995
Publisher Interplay
Developer Blizzard Entertainment
Expect to pay £250
Other Versions SNES, PC, Switch, More
B
y 1995 the games market was changing a lot, and you could argue that games like Blackthorne were dropping out of fashion with the gaming public. At the end of the day though, a good game always shines through, right? Blackthorne’s plot could almost be the length of a TV series but will try to sum it up quickly. You play as a mercenary, Kyle, who has escaped from prison here on Earth. Plagued by dreams of the planet Tuul, he recalls that this is his birthplace and must return to save it from the evil ruler Sarlac and take his rightful place on the throne. Blackthorne doesn’t wait around to get going. Luckily there is a practice mode that lets you get to grips with a few basic moves and the mechanics of the game. This is fairly limited though, and by trying various button presses and combinations you will discover more. These are needed to benefit from the fluid gameplay and movements of Kyle. There are several themed levels all broken into sections, so you get a play through mines, a castle, forest, desert and snow (which was exclusive to the 32X version). Various enemies stand in your way as well as some obstacles to get past. Kyle is armed with a shotgun for his main
Did you know? With the 32X version having a bonus world, Interplay also added a little extra, and fellow company stablemates The Lost Vikings make an appearance. From previous experience though, I know they’ll survive these lands.
The early sections are a challenge, with limited energy and weapons weapon that as the game progresses becomes more powerful. One nice touch is how you can shoot enemies from behind with a cool over-the-shoulder blast. To help further, your energy bar also increases over time and is needed. Although certain screens may look clear, hidden traps can be sprung, so some caution is required. Enemies drop items that you need to get to other areas – including bombs and keys – while other survivors are dotted around the levels who are happy to hand over items, so always make sure you speak to anyone who isn’t trying to shoot you! One frustration I have is that Kyle moves so quickly! It is easy to run too fast, have no time to jump and then
fall to your death. Although this does become less of a problem as you get used to the control system.
return to blackthorne With the 32X version being quite pricey, there is luckily a cheaper alternative. The Blizzard Arcade Collection was released in 2021 for modern consoles. Containing Blackthorne, The Lost Vikings and more. It’s a nice set and all the games are worth your time.
final verdict Paul Blackthorne offers a serious challenge for gamers, as some jumps are almost pixel perfect. Although the graphics aren’t a massive jump up from the SNES version, they are an improvement. Fan of Flashback, Prince of Persia, etc., should check it out.
Be sure to interact with everything 58 / S E G A P O W E R E D
in a word: Captivating www.segapowered.com
feature
System!
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Master
‘
‘
VIVA LA While the Master System did well in the UK, its popularity in Latin America cannot be underestimated. Exclusive ports and games! New models still being released today! Stuart Gipp gets Brazilian. No, not like that. Honestly
I
t’s common knowledge that the Master System didn’t exactly take off in the United States, and much of the blame for its failure can be laid at the feet of chosen distributor Tonka, which is more famous for toy trucks than games consoles. Thanks to the company badly mishandling the system – only releasing a handful of games and allegedly refusing to localise popular Japanese and European titles – it has next to no footprint in North America. South America, though? A very different story. Brazilian electronic toy company Tectoy, founded in 1987, contacted SEGA about distribution of its products and ended up releasing a plastic ray-gun toy based on the weapon used in the popular Zillion anime, which featured then-SEGA mascot Opa-Opa of Fantasy Zone fame. Following the success of this product, SEGA permitted Tectoy to begin distributing Master System consoles and software in 1989, and sales exploded. By the close of 1990, almost 300,000 units were sold, and things didn’t stop there. While Master System software had all but dried up in PAL territories by 1995 (Europe-only The Smurfs Travel the World was the only game released in 1996), new titles continued to be released in Brazil as late as 1998, when a port of WayForward’s Disney edutainment title Mickey’s Ultimate Challenge was put on sale. It wasn’t just late ports, either. Formerly cancelled or unreleased games found a new lease of life in Latin America. Fully complete but unseen titles such as Fire and Ice and Battletoads were exclusive to Brazil, and some existing games were modified for the audience as well. The Westone classic Wonder Boy in Monster Land, for example, became Mônica no Castelo do Dragão, with a new protagonist and cast of characters pulled from the nationally popular
April 2022
children’s comic Turma da Mônica (Monica’s Gang). The rest of the Wonder Boy series would follow suit, alongside the likes of Ghost House and Astérix and The Secret Mission also undergoing changes to include characters popular in Brazil, such as the superhero parody El Chapulín – famously parodied as The Simpsons’ Bumblebee Man. On top of the retrofitting of existing software, new games (and hardware models, such as the hot pink Master System Girl) were produced exclusively for the Brazilian market. The likes of platformer Castelo Rá-TimBum and the rather gorgeous-looking Sítio do Picapau Amarelo can only be found under the Tectoy label. Additionally, there were many new Game Gear ports – big names like X-Men: Mojo World, FIFA International Soccer and even Mortal Kombat 3. That’s all without even mentioning the Master System port of the mighty Street Fighter II. Even to this day, the Master System continues to sell in Brazil. You can visit Tectoy’s website right now in the year of Our Lord 2022 and purchase the latest model, one Master System Evolution. A rather pleasant-looking bright blue slab decorated with what appears to be unique Sonic the Hedgehog art, this plug-and-play console comes with two – oddly, six-button – controllers and 132 classic built-in SEGA titles. It’s advertised with the refrain ‘Viva a Nostalgia!’, which suggests it’s very much a system to look back on, but the fact is that as of 2016, Tectoy had reportedly sold eight million (!!) SEGA Master Systems – and that number certainly won’t have gone down in the meantime.
S E G A P O W E R E D / 59 65
THE HARDLINE
Weeks of listing, debating and threatening has brought us to this point: the definitive list of essential games that all SEGA fans should own. And the only way peace could reign across the team was to allow each of us to add an additional title without argument – the ‘Court of Appeal’. Think we’ve missed one (or more) out? Keep reading to find out how you can have your say Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine £25
MEGA DRIVE advanced busterhawk Gleylancer £130 An office favourite – especially as it’s slightly easier than Thunder Force IV, which pleases Dean immensely.
Aladdin
Puyo Puyo in a slightly different skin. It may be a clone of numerous other titles, but it’s still fantastic to play.
Mortal Kombat 2 Dragon’s Fury
£22
There are many fine pinball games for the Mega Drive, but we recommend you start with this one.
Dynamite Headdy
Castlevania: The new generation
£7
Arguably better than the first FIFA game, and probably the last great FIFA game for some years.
Gunstar Heroes
£135
Fun, with a capital ‘Fuh’. Gunstar Heroes will enter your brain, find a space to reside, and never leave.
Hellfire
£40
Another shmup, yes, but Hellfire’s unique four-directional firing system works extremely well.
Comix Zone
£17
Before we had a decent footie game, this was our sport of choice that was constantly played on the Sega Power Mega Drive.
Phantasy Star IV
£12
As fun now as it was 30 years ago. Destroying buildings in an attack helicopter doesn’t get better than this.
72 / S E G A P O W E R E D
Very much the same game as Castle of Illusion, but you’ll get no complaints about that from us.
Ristar
£65
…or ‘What Sonic Team did Next’. Slower and more thoughtful than Sonic, sadly we never saw a sequel.
Road Rash II
£17
The undulating road may not be quite as smooth as we remember, but this is still a fantastic game to play.
Rocket Knight Adventures
Shining Force II
£110
A wonderfully playable RPG that is now, quite rightly, labelled a classic.
APPEAL
Shining in the Darkness
£45
Shinobi III
£175
The first Shining game on MD was a very different beast to the games that followed it. Different, but still lovely.
If you have a Mega Drive then you have to own this game. Oh, and play it, too. Obviously.
probotector Landstalker
£40
One of Dean’s favourite MD games of all time, so it had to go in. Thankfully we all think it’s rather spiffing too.
£200
Style-over-substance. Aladdin Mega Drive goes in, but no sign of Probotector? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight... – Neil
£7
Sonic the hedgehog 3
£25
Bigger, better, faster, more. The best Sonic game ever made? Very possibly.
Originally planned as a much larger game, Sonic 3 delivers just enough to give it a space in this list.
Splatterhouse 3
£140
Streets of Rage 2
£45
Strider
£30
Super Street Fighter II
£35
Splatterhouse 3 was never officially released in Europe, but of the two games on the Mega Drive, this is the one we recommend that you seek out. Moving Right across the screen and repeatedly stabbing the Punch button into people’s faces has never been more fun.
£200
COURT OF
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
£45
The Mega Drive wasn’t short of stunning platformers, and this one is very near the top of the pile.
Different people have different favourites when it comes to the Phantasy Star series. Collectively, this is ours.
£50
This original beat-’em-up is one of the most requested games for a remaster/ remake, and for good reason.
Desert Strike
NBA Jam Tournament Edition £12
NHL 94 FIFA 95
Remarkably, this was the only Castlevania game released on the Mega Drive. Thankfully it’s bloody great.
Strip away the hype and the Fatalities – which are little more than a novelty feature – and this is still a cracking game.
The finest arcade basketball game you’ll ever play – and one of the best list of cheat modes, too.
£13
£20
£27
Quackshot starring donald duck £17
£17
Treasure rarely put a foot wrong in the gaming world, and this is no exception. Original and unmissable.
Driving games were never easy to get right on a 16-bit machine, but ASSMGPII remains one of the finest.
An essential purchase. One of the smartest, smoothest and funnest platformers you’ll ever play.
£17
Quite possibly the most fun four people can have without a hot tub and a stacked cocktail bar.
A decent platformer with the famous Dave Perry polish. Definitely one of the better film licensed games.
Castle of Illusion starring mickey mouse
£10
The first Madden game to come with all the licences, as well as oodles of other new content.
Micro Machines 2
£13
Ayrton Senna’s Super Monaco GP II £10
Madden NFL ’95
Sonic the hedgehog
£7
Sonic fact: Several issues of Sega Power listed the game in the charts as ‘Sonic the Cheesegrater’.
One of the first must-have games for the Mega Drive. Impressively, it’s still hugely playable now.
More characters and other tweaks give this the edge over the Special Champion Edition.
www.segapowered.com
the hardline
COURT OF
rez
APPEAL
theme Park (MD)
£7
New rides and terrain textures mean this isn’t just a stripped-back port of the original, this is a unique masterpiece. – Marc
Thunder Force IV
Crazy Taxi
£20
Mars Matrix
Dead or Alive 2
£20
Marvel vs Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes £90
Arcade action of the most disposable kind. But those graphics, that music, and fun, fun, fun.
Fast and technical, Tecmo’s bouncy sequel is a high point among Dreamcast beat-’em-ups.
£55
Thunder Force IV hates you and laughs at your puny attempts to defeat it. But defeat it you will. Eventually.
£50
World of Illusion starring mickey mouse and donald duck £22
COURT OF
£17
APPEAL
House of the Dead 2 £41 (with gun)
Phantasy Star Online
£2
£30
Gobsmacking graphics and real depth makes Treasure’s tour de force one of the best ever.
dreamcast F355 Challenge
£72
Mad brilliance with a four-player, online mode to test your reflexes.
April 2022
£9
A standard bearer, open-world adventure, and the then-most expensive videogame ever.
Skies of Arcadia
£70
A JRPG work of art for the ages. Now, where’s our effing remaster, eh? Well? WELL!?!
£12
Quake III: Arena
Sonic Adventure
£130
battle garegga
£130
Burning Rangers
£175
This game is HOT STUFF! Because they are firefighters. And there’s fire.
£13
The true 3D arrival of Sonic, and still thoroughly entertaining – pop-up notwithstanding.
COURT OF
APPEAL
£2
A hellishly good PC port, and the game that extolled Dreamcast online. Shooters done proper.
die hard trilogy Soulcalibur
jet set radio
£20
How does one game ooze so much style? A living, breathing work of graffiti art.
Resident Evil – CODE: Veronica
£5
One of the greatest, kinkiest 3D fighting games on any system, ever. If you haven’t already, buy it. Then worship it.
£235
£5
Batsugun
The game that coined the term ‘danmaku’ – you against loads of bullets.
£13
Gorgeous looking, with a smart border system, and a challenge from the outset.
Chu Chu Rocket!
£10
Still ranks as top-tier racing action of the Model 3 variety, and a must-have for DC owners.
£15
Serious simmery from Ferrari fiend, Yu Suzuki. It’s no pushover, and one hell of an achievement.
Border Down
Apparently ‘Baku Baku’ roughly translates to ‘Chomp Chomp’.
A hugely popular and extremely rare (so therefore expensive) Japanese shmup.
Bigger arenas made for greater laughs in this classic, four-way party smasher.
Ikaruga
baku baku animal £20
SEGA’s online RPG – an ambitious, landmark outing married to a classic franchise.
Power Stone 2
Over 50 challenging levels with a horror setting? That has to be my Court of Appeal. – Paul
£60 (with mic)
Shenmue
Blasting zombies was never this much fun, making it the premier lightgun shooter on DC.
£50
£14
Saturn
That there ’Murican Football in one of its best-ever digital plays, even to this day. A sprawling, sci-fi mystery adventure with an epic orchestral score. Totally underappreciated and overlooked.
Virtua Tennis 2
Sega Rally 2
The definitive DC racer, it excels in every department, and plays like a beautiful dream.
£120
Possibly the most finely tuned 2D DC brawler of them all (and totally swappable for Alpha 3).
Expanding on an already brilliant recipe, the sequel makes for a top tennis time.
A freakish exercise in psychology, delivered by a talking fish with a human face. Man alive…
metropolis street racer
Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike
SEGA at its most inventive, running with an idea to its most ridiculous and fun.
Seaman
NFL 2K2
Headhunter
Samba de Amigo £110 (with Maracas and sensors)
Huge scrapping action, and stacks of specials to unleash, topped off with that fan-service roster.
Only SEGA could make fake fishing as much fun as this is – especially with the rod.
Easily the best in the series, and cut through with a streak of humour.
Liked Castle of Illusion? Liked Quackshot? Ah, you know the rest.
£125
Manic, vertical shmuppery on Dreamcast doesn’t get any more pure.
Get Bass £35 (with Fission Rod)
Grandia 2
Zombies ate my neighbors
£90
A hypnotic, immersive masterpiece. Strap on the Trance Vibrator and get blissed out.
£6
Originally a DC exclusive, and still the best of the classic Resi games for our money.
Space Channel 5
£12
Sexy and stylish, with a wicked soundtrack – and SEGA proving its love for life again.
£12
The graphics may look like they’re made of LEGO, but it’s the gameplay that shines through. All three films wrapped up in a delicious and enormously playable bundle – Dean
Dark Savior
£45
Not quite a sequel to Landstalker, more like a spiritual successor. And that’s more than good enough for us.
S E G A P O W E R E D / 73
POWER down
Join us!
Aanndd that’s yer lot. Sorry to end quite so abruptly, but we do hope it’s given you a flavour of what you can expect from the full version of the magazine.
If you’re new to SEGA Powered then hello, it’s lovely to meet you – albeit virtually. As you’re reading this then you clearly have excellent taste in magazines, so I suspect we’d get along swimmingly. SEGA Powered is a professional magazine created by independent writers with industry backgrounds. We’re proud to have worked on some of the biggest games magazines in the UK, and hopefully you’ll see some of that experience leaking out onto the pages.
SEGA Powered is a monthly magazine, and goes on sale towards the end of the month. You can find out more about the magazine by following us on Facebook (HERE) or Twitter (HERE), or feel free to pop by our Discord server (HERE). Finally, you can head to our website (HERE), where you can pick up a copy of the magazine in either digital or print formats. Thanks again for reading. Dean Mortlock – Editor