If, like me, you really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY want Sega to get the finger out and make a fourth Streets of Rage, then you may be happy to learn that several groups of incredibly talent people have already taken the liberty of making their own unofficial sequels for you. Good times!

Throughout The Week of Rage, I’ll be posting up interviews and articles involving these people and their brilliant projects, starting with Bare Knuckle IV, an exciting sequel being worked on tirelessly as you read this by a collective known as Last Soul. The head honco behind the project is a coder going by the name Red Rum and he has proved integral to the worldwide Streets of Rage fan community, working closely with founder of Streets of Rage.net Matthew Drury (Read yesterday’s massive interview with him here)

Last Soul started working on the game in August 2008 and since then the drip-feeding of tantalising information, concept art and character sprites has kept series fans on the edge of their seats for over a year.

Like this…

OK so it’s It’s a few frames of Axel beating up a goon, but damn is that looking good already. It’s big, chunky, has the same visual style as the old games and shows that the team is focusing on keeping things in line with the older games. Some people could really learn from this dedication to the original source material. I mean really come on this is just too much guys, were you just having a laugh with this one or what?

Rant over…(seriously check out that link but have a sick bag ready!)

Although, Last Soul are attempting to go one step beyond in one department that Sega never really tread with the old games and that is to incorporate a deep storyline among the broken noses and unconscious street punks.

From the Bare Knuckle IV wiki:

“Years before the events of the original Bare Knuckle, the world was terrorized by a dark and magical figure known only as ‘Enigma’. He was the adopted son of Mr. X and his right-hand man before Shiva came on the scene. In 2014, after being betrayed by Mr. X he was finally ‘killed’ by the police force, but instead of fading from the world forever, the evil inside his soul kept him alive, albeit in a coma. Now, in 2022, five years after the events of Bare Knuckle III… Mr. X is finally dead and Shiva has taken over the New Syndicate. The world has been once again overshadowed by Enigma’s sinister darkness, and its up to our heroes to once again walk the Streets of Rage! What they don’t know is that sinister revelation and secrets await them that will change their lives forever…”

Christ…Check that out! I think it sounds like a very decent story, without any of the stupid robot conspiracy overtones that made the third game feel like science-fiction run amok. Sure, a lot of people enjoyed this, but I just found it to be a bit overblown and very silly.

So the story sounds ace and if that wasn’t enough, playable characters will include Axel, Blaze, Adam, and Amber (Tina in Streets of Rage.) and four secret characters in the form of Shiva, Anthrax, Enigma, and Ryo (from the video game “Shenmue.”)

Ryo, wait, what?

NICE!!!!!!!

If you want more insight into the story of Bare Knuckle IV (and it is great once you get into it) you can check out this fan novel based on the plot as written by Matthew Drury of Streets of Rage.net fame.

Next up, an incredible interview with Red Rum himself!

Dear Gaming Gods please can we have………

Over the years (Too many now, unfortunately.) since we have been gaming we have seen many great games come and go. Whether it was a game that never got a sequel, or in some cases, a sequel that never lived up to the original or a franchise that deserves to be raised from the ashes of gaming history with a full re-boot.

It seems that the movie industry is keen to breathe new life into long dead franchises so why not games? Here is our run-down of the G4A wish list.

Elite!

Yes we know! Every games journalist worth their salt, or at least those old enough to remember this classic, have been hankering for a return of the space based trading classic. Originally created for the BBC Micro by programming team David Braben and Ian Bell Elite took the gaming world by storm.

With it’s open-ended gameplay and a massive 8 galaxies featuring 256 planets, Elite to this day remains a shinning example of what can be achieved with innovative programming.

Elite’s influence has rippled through the gaming galaxy ever since with a multitude of games borrowing the concept and trying to create that ‘Elite-type’ experience. Non have really managed to recreate the original though.

Elite has had two official sequels, Frontier and Frontier: First Encounters, both of which were full of bugs and never captured the feeling of the original or the imagination of the audience.

The good news is that Braben’s development studio ‘Frontier Developments’ have had an official sequel ‘Elite 4′ in the pipeline since 1998. The latest news is that the studio will begin full-scale work once their title ‘The Outsider’ is released. I am going to try to get some more information from the studio if I can – watch this space!

Destruction Derby

One of the PS1’s launch titles (Also launched on Sega Saturn and PC) Psygnosis’ Destruction Derby was a joyful jaunt of a driving game whereby you got to smash the crap out of your opponents cars.

Developed by Reflections, who later went on to write the driver series, this smash and crash title was one of the first to show what this new generation of arcade quality home gaming consoles were really capable of.

Its 3D graphics and unique gameplay model made Destruction Derby an instant classic. Despite a wave of sequels none of the following titles lived up to the originals, simple gameplay mechanics and course design. Recently there have been a few attempts at a similar theme, most notably Begbear Entertainments Flatout series.

The original Destruction Derby is available for download for PS3 and PSP.

The Last Ninja

One of, if not the biggest titles on the C64 was System 3’s The Last Ninja. An isometric fighting puzzler that redefined what people would come to expect from fighting games.

Blending gameplay styles of puzzles, platform and fighting games, The Last Ninja was a massive hit winning tons of awards and critical acclaim. The game itself spawned 3 sequels, Last Ninja’s 2 &  3 as well as The last Ninja: Remix.

The Last Ninja 2 came in a box with a mask, scroll and a rubber shuriken, that was hard enough to stick in my bedroom door. Nice!

In the  late 90’s rumours and screen shots of a fully fledged update of The Last Ninja series began to arise, and in 2003 we saw screen shots of the first level of The Last Ninja: The Return. Scheduled for a 2004 release the game even previewed at E3 yet was cancelled due to being “Simply not good enough” according to System 3 CEO Mark Cale. Heaven forbid they should just try to make it good eh?

MechAssault

The original MechAssault introduced me to the wonders of online play. A team based tear up in giant robots that systematically destroy entire cityscapes as the game unfolds.

Produced by Day 1 Studios and released by Microsoft on the original Xbox. MechAssualt’s single player game was, at best not much better than average but online the game blossomed into, in many peoples opinion, one of the best to date. The game really was one of the reasons that Xbox Live truly took off featuring some of the best pyrotechnics of any game up to that point.

A sequel MechAssault 2: Lone Wolf came a couple of years later and added the ability to leave your Mech and run around on foot. As with many such sequels the developers tried to shoehorn in too many new ideas without truly understanding their audience.

What we all wanted was an updated and polished version of the first game, with better graphics and new Mechs. It is what we still want! Forget leaving the mech when it is exploding, all we want are massive multi-player arenas with destructible buildings and giant Mechs that pack enough firepower to down the deathstar!

Imagine MechAssault rebooted for the Xbox 360? A stripped down game that looks great and allows us to kick shiny metal ass all day long!

Shenmue

It is as predictable as the sun coming up, but love it or hate it Shenmue was always going to be in this list.

Developed by Sega-AM2 and produced and directed by the legendary Yu Suzuki Shenmue was the first killer app for Sega’s ill-fated Dreamcast.

You follow the life of a young Ryo Hazuki who is out on a mission of vengeance for Lan Di the man who killed his father. The game centres around you having to talk to people, learn Martial Arts, fight and also get jobs to obtain money.

Shenmue’s open world was unlike anything seen before and was a truly immersive experience. Despite the game obtaining a massive cult following and a sequel that appeared towards the end of the Dreamcasts  life (Later it made the jump to the Xbox.) The decision was made to end the series on a rather annoying cliffhanger after the second game.

We all want to know how the story finished and we would dearly love to see Shenmue 3 on one of the Next Gen consoles. If it was packaged with the first two games so new-comers could pick up the story I still believe it would see by the bucket-load, come on Sega, “Do you know anywhere where I might find some sailors?”

Cannon Fodder

Sensible software were once the best developers working in the industry, according to us anyway. we thought long and hard about which games of theirs we would like to see back and whilst a full update of Sensible World Of Soccer would be cool we plumped for Cannon Fodder.

Originally released on the Amiga and later ported to the Megadrive, Cannon Fodder was an isometric war sim where you lead a small group of soldiers on various missions. Featuring what is still to this day probably the best theme song on any game the tagline “War has never been so much fun.” ruffled a few feathers and the developers were forced to redesign the packaging to remove a poppy from the cover. Even though they offered to donate some of the takings to the poppy appeal.

A full update of Cannon Fodder would really work we feel as long as the humour was left in tact and for that John Hare would have to oversee development.

Another World

Yet another Amiga classic makes an appearance on our list. This time Another World, a side scrolling 2D platformer that really transported the player to…. well yes, Another World.

Written by Eric Chahi and published by Delphine Software it featured state of the art graphics and new gameplay elements that have now become standard, Another World really stood out from the crowd. It used cut-scenes and cinematic effects that were inspired by the Dragons Lair game but done with much surer footing of a great original work.

Eric Chahi did write a sequel called Heart of The Alien but it only ever saw the light of day on the Mega CD so pretty much nobody played it.

Delphine did allow many people to think that Flashback was Another World 2 and it sort of was, as it stole many of the original ideas of its predecessor. Eric Chahi did write a direct sequel called Heart of The Alien but it only ever saw the light of day on the Mega CD so pretty much nobody played it.

An updated 3D version of this game would be ace!

Oddworld

Created by Oddworld Inhabitants the Oddworld series was an ambitious idea to create games around a series of characters inside a complete universe.

The series started off as a 2D platformer called Abe’s Odyssee and was followed up by Abe’s Exodus. Both games followed the exploits of Abe, a lovable character, as he tried to stop his fellow Mudokon slaves from being turned into food. The games featured an innovative idea in Gamespeak where you could select certain phrases to use to interact with other characters in the game. Both games were pure bliss.

When the series went 3D it left Abe behind and introduce Munch in Munch’s Odyssee. This is where the series started to falter. Having set the standard and creating such a brilliant character as ,Munch was just a poor substitute and sales of Munch’s Odyssee suffered as a direct result.

The final game in the series was Strangers Wrath and what a fine game it was again. a 3D shooter that had some of the coolest weapons ever seen. The game earned critical acclaim but failed to capture the public’s imagination.

Poor sales figures convinced Oddworld Inhabitants that there creations future lay elsewhere and they now look to turn the universe into films or comics or something.

But to be honest the series suffered badly when they left Abe behind and a reboot featuring this brilliant character with all the humour that the series was famous for could well revive the world even if it is odd!

Black

Just before the end of the Xbox Criterion released Black. An awesome shooter that went some way to proving the giant black box was being put out to pasture before its time.

Black was FPS and a masterpiece in how to blow shit up. The game has some of the most frequent and largest explosions ever seen. It is loud, fast and crazy.

Black was criticised for its lack of depth but for the time it ran it was a joy to behold and when you consider the platform it was on then you understand the skill in Criterions development.

A sequel has been muted but with the developers milking the cash cow that is Burnout for all it is worth we are yet to see a return for this most underrated of shooters.

There are many others – I am sure Moonhead and Eddie will have their own opinions and they will be on
below.

The last generation of gaming had plenty of amazing games. The PlayStation 2, Xbox GameCube and Dreamcast all had their fair share of great games that will be fondly remembered. However not all of these amazing games were as influential as others. There a few select games that have influenced the current generation and the games within it. All of the games in this article have influenced the modern gaming industry in one way or another.

The first game I want to discuss is Shenmue. This was released in Japan at the very end of 1999 for the Dreamcast. The game was incredibly ahead of its time and boasted open worlds, real time day and night cycles along with very high production values. This game is often considered to be amazing but due to the poor sales of the Dreamcast most gamers haven’t even played it. Arguably this is the game that created the sandbox titles that we see so much of nowadays. I think, however, that it was too early. If it had came out at a later date when more people had moved up a generation (Be it PS2, Dreamcast etc) it would have had a greater influence.

It loses most of the influence it could have had due to another game though. That game would be Grand Theft Auto III. GTA3 allowed players to do things that they had never been able to do in previous video games. Rather than complete one level, then move onto the next they were free to choose what to do. This was done in the previous GTA games but due to the limited hardware of consoles back there it didn’t have the same effect. The world lacked atmosphere in the original GTAs and there was no real reason to explore the city. The jump up the Grand Theft Auto III was incredible. The world was no longer a boring, empty city but it was now filled with life, in complete 3D graphics and there was a real reason to explore and adventure. This was the start of the sandbox genre that many games today have followed and tried to make their own. None of them have managed to make a big enough jump to amaze gamers like GTA3 did though.

Now, back to Shenmue. Shenmue lacked appeal to the non-Japanese market. The majority of western gamers prefer the Americanised product with guns, blood and bad language so they completely ignored Shenmue but obsessed over Grand Theft Auto III. Shenmue rarely gets the credit it deserves because Grand Theft Auto III overshadowed in terms of sales and popularity. Even though Shenmue provided a believable, realistic world it also tried create a cinematic experience that gamers had never before witnessed which could have put a lot of people off. When GTA3 came out the majority of the focus was aimed at the free world and the story was nowhere as cinematic as Shenmue. This arguably let GTA3 use the world more effectively.

The sandbox world has been beaten these days though. Games like Yakuza, Far Cry 2, Oblivion and of course Grand Theft Auto IV have came leaps and bounds ahead the groundwork GTA3 left behind. None of them, however, have revolutionised it the way GTA3 did.

GTA3 was influential because of the sandbox world but there are some other games that need mentioned. Halo: Combat Evolved being one of these. The PC was always the home for First Person Shooters and consoles generally lacked them. Games like Doom, Quake and Duke Nukem were all born and raised on the PC. I’m not saying there were no console shooters before Halo and I’m not saying there were no good ones either but it was mainly PC.

Halo was the definitive console shooter. The PS2 and Dreamcast lacked FPS’ that really made a big jump so when Halo appeared as a launch title for the Xbox people were blown away. The fact that Halo was a launch title makes it even more influential than it would have been normally. Most launch titles tend be poor in comparison to later games but Halo stood strong as one of the best games on the system and the last generation as a whole. This was the FPS that started to appeal to console owners. Whether it’s because of the icon that is Master Chief, the fact it was bundled with the Xbox and everyone got to play it or maybe the marketing really worked, there is no denying the influence Halo had on the console shooters.

I need to give a mention to Goldeneye 007 though which is often considered to be one of the best shooters ever made. Goldeneye was released on the Nintendo 64 and was a good few years before Halo. Rare done an exceptional job with Goldeneye and proved that console shooters can be amazing before Halo was even announced. It didn’t have the same impact or influence that Halo did though. It did sell well and it was very well received but Halo was considered revolutionary and it was while Goldeneye didn’t set the world on fire the same way. I think the main drawback was that the controls weren’t as refined as Halo’s were which kept the PC the FPS platform of choice. Of course, Goldeneye wasn’t part of the last generation so it shouldn’t really be counted in this article.

This generation has been filled with both first person shooters and third person shooters. Halo led the way for the FPS’ while it was Resident Evil 4 that influenced the way of the third person shooter. Before RE4, third person shooters were zoomed far back and the camera was quite far back from your character. When Resident Evil 4 arrived though, it also brought the over the shoulder camera with it. No longer were third person shooters far back, but instead you viewed from the characters shoulder which allowed a whole new perspective and a much more enjoyable way of shooting. Every third person shooter these days uses this new camera.

Gears of War had a great influence from RE4 in particular. Rather than a horror template, Gears of War went for the full action template with hordes of enemies and lots of set pieces which really utilized the over the shoulder camera. It is also implemented a cover system which was extremely influential itself has influenced this generation quite a bit already but that’s for a different article.

Resident Evil 4 was extremely well received by critics and developers alike. It was the first time a camera like this had been used and it really did change how games played. It refined the gameplay of them and made third person shooters a lot more enjoyable than they were before.

There are other games that have had a smaller influence from the last generation too. Guitar Hero set the bar for music video games as well as creating a peripheral that really changes how the game played. The prototype for Resident Evil 4, Devil May Cry, also had a small influence on action-adventure games by creating a very enjoyable experience with a mixture of exploration, story development, waves of enemies and multiple bosses. God of War also had a little to do with this.

However, some games didn’t get the influence they deserved. Both Shadow of the Colossus and Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath come to mind. Both of these were well received, Shadow of the Colossus in particular. If these two games had managed to influence this generation on a greater scale it would have been very different. Shadow of the Colossus was an amazing experience throughout and placed players into an amazing world where many magnificent creatures inhabited. Through the sense of mystery and the gameplay that was made up of pretty much boss fights only, it turned out to be incredible. There was so much that Shadow of the Colossus done really well besides the core gameplay, the connection to Agro, the sense of scale, the story and nearly everything about it was pulled off fantastically. Stranger’s Wrath tried to innovate the FPS genre through the use of the crossbow which, combined with the highly detailed quirky world, made it a completely different FPS from the rest. The different mixtures of gameplay which were all evenly balanced helped this be a great game. If games like these had got the larger influence they had this generation would have been completely different. Rather than contain a lack of ideas, games would have took more risks and stepped away from the safe path of generic ideas and gameplay (Not every game this gen is like this though).

If the main games I mentioned earlier didn’t come about, would this generation have been the same? To be honest they wouldn’t have but I think another game would have taken their place after a while. Eventually an FPS would have come to console, like what Halo done and brought on many waves of them. If GTA3 wasn’t released then Shenmue would have taken its place. If neither had been released his would have came along differently. If Resident Evil 4 hadn’t created the over the shoulder camera then I don’t know what would have happened. I think eventually something would have come around to change third person shooters but I doubt it would have been the same. I doubt the same camera would have been used but I can’t think how it would have changed.

The last generation was a huge influence on this generation but that goes without saying. The generation before the last generation influenced it and it will keep on going back that way. There were a few select games that had a huge influence on this gen and formed a lot of the games we see today. Some games were overlooked and if they weren’t, this generation could have been completely different.

Por Alexei Barros

Shenmue. Superprodução de 50 milhões de dólares de Yu Suzuki, com trilha elaborada por um time competente que incluiu Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Yuzo Koshiro e Hayato Matsuo. Embora existam músicas muito bonitas, jamais apareceu em um concerto japonês, e somente veio a ser executada a “Shenmue ~Sedge Tree~” no First Symphonic Game Music Concert (2003), com reprises na turnê PLAY! A Video Game Symphony e no PROMS That’s sound, that’s rhythm (2008).

Os holandeses do Games in Concert (2006) não se contentaram em escolher o mesmo tema apenas por ser o mais difundido. Pegaram a deslumbrante e inspiradora “Waves of Morning Haze”, assinada e arranjada por Toshiyuki Watanabe no álbum Shenmue Orchestra Version. Como tocar a faixa se utiliza um instrumento raro, o kokyu (como um shamisen diminuto)?

O atrativo de reproduzir game music ao vivo nem sempre é imitar todos os instrumentos da original, mas sim encontrar saídas dentre as possibilidades disponíveis para que fique parecido, apesar de não 100% idêntico. Não raro, o resultado supera a versão do jogo. Para isso é preciso criatividade. Solução encontrada: o kokyu foi satisfatoriamente substituído pela guitarra. Apurada e sutil, não sobressai de maneira estridente. Mistura-se à sinfonia com naturalidade.

Seria tudo perfeito se não fosse por um detalhe. Tiveram a infeliz ideia de incluir durante a execução a participação do Eboman, um rapaz que cria ruídos eletrônicos com os movimentos do corpo por meio de um traje personalizado. Veja o vídeo para entender melhor. Se no segmento do Metal Gear Solid 2 com muita boa vontade quase combinou, no número de Shenmue ficou totalmente fora de contexto e deslocado com o clima de introspecção da peça. Pelos relatos que vi, foi unanimidade o repúdio ao Eboman, tanto que ele nunca mais voltou na série Games in Concert. Confesso que até fiquei com pena do coitado.

Não obstante, recomendo a audição (se possível ignorando os incômodos barulhos discrepantes), pois foi gravada da transmissão do rádio, ou seja, apresenta boa qualidade. Obrigado ao Laurens Kemeling por fornecê-la.

- “Waves of Morning Haze” (Shenmue, Games in Concert)

Witam wszystkich!
Mój blog znowu rozpoczyna działalność. Wkrótce pojawią się pierwsze teksty i recenzje! Czekajcie cierpliwie (o ile ktoś tu jeszcze zagląda) Dajcie znać w komentarzach

Sega är knappast kända för briljanta PR-kubber eller hårdförande marknadsföring, men när det kommer till Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing har de – med ett spel som till utförandet mest lockar mainstreampubliken – även lyft ögonen hos hardcorespelarna.

De har varit ganska förtegna om vilka karaktärer som kommer att dyka upp i spelet, men när det utannonserades att Ryo Hazuki, huvudrollsinnehavaren i  Shenmue, fick det många att lyfta på ögonbrynen, inte minst borta på Shenmue Dojo – världens största Shenmue-community. Detta skapade alltså ett visst hopp om en eventuell uppföljare till Shenmue 2.

Sedan hintades det även om att Akira från Virtua Fighter skulle finnas med i den tyska speltidningen SegaOnline. Vid frågan om de kunde nämna någon mer karaktär som kommer att dyka upp i spelet så svarade Sumo Digitals Steve Lycett såhär:

“Jag skulle vilja det, men vi har svurit på att hålla det hemligt. Någon kommer kanske göra en “Tetsuzankou” på mig om jag gjorde det.”

Tetsuzankou är alltså en av Akiras rörelser från Virtua Fighter-spelen.

Nu har också den brittiska producenten och J-popartisten Bentley Jones släppt en titel på hans senaste låt, och mycket tyder på att det kommer att vara temasången för Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing. Den faller ganska långt utanför min musiksmak, men den har lockat intresset bland många andra.  

I augusti hade Sega och Sony ett möte, och i september läckte noteringar från det ut. Det ska mer eller mindre ha bevisats att det var sann information, och den för mig intressantaste punkten handlade om att Sega skulle ge ut Dreamcast-spel via PSN – det vill säga att vi kommer att kunna ladda ned dem till Playstation 3.

Sega följer sin vanliga mall genom att varken dementera eller tillkännage informationen, förutom att de bad flertalet sajter att ta bort posterna om detta. Med mycket stor sannolikhet kommer vi att kunna köpa Dreamcast-spel via PSN i framtiden, och jag listar de fem spel jag skulle vilja se bland urvalet. Listan presenteras utan inbördes rangordning.

Shenmue I och II

Shenmue är Segas svar på Zelda och Halo, och denna fantastiska saga kan jag bara inte få nog av. De små detaljerna ger äventyret en svårslagen känsla, och när det lanserades var det revolutionerande på många sätt. Med Shenmue introducerade Sega QTE-momentet, ni vet filmscener där det gäller att trycka på rätt knapp vid rätt tillfälle, och vädret och dygnsrotationen var dynamiskt.

Det är ändå karaktärerna, miljöerna och dialogerna som ger den där extra kryddan, och en storslagen inramning gör det till en otrolig episk resa. Det är mysigt att strosa runt i Dobuita och prata med Ryos vänner, även om de bara är bikaraktärer som inte är viktiga för att ta handlingen och den röda tråden framåt. Shenmue har en svårslagen själ som jag aldrig har sett i någon annan titel, och jag håller det fortfarande som världens bästa spel nio år efter dess lansering.

Skies of Arcadia

Striderna må dra ut på tiden, men Skies of Arcadia bjuder ändå på en underbar resa. Äventyret bland molnen ger en storslagen känsla, och variationen mellan striderna till fots och med sitt luftskepp ger en ny dimension. Dessutom fyller designen och musiken atmosfärskvoten ypperligt.

När det lanserades sträckspelade jag igenom hela spelet under fem dagar efter en solig resa till Cypern. Säga vad man vill om att spela på sommaren, men det är en solig titel som passar alldeles utmärkt till sysslolösa sommarkvällar.

Crazy Taxi

Arkadspel i allmänhet och Crazy taxi i synnerhet, passar alldeles utmärkt till nedladdningstjänster där titlarna kostar runt hundralappen. Nu är visserligen inga priser satta, men det skulle förvåna mig mycket ifall Dreamcast-titlarna skulle bli dyrare än Playstation-spelen.

Crazy Taxi bjuder på galen samt snabb underhållning, och en smått galen humor. Att köra vårdslöst, samtidigt som man håller sig ifrån att köra på andra trafikanter eller föremål utgör en skön vågskål. Det enda jag skulle sakna här är en onlinebaserad rankinglista, vilket med största sannolikhet inte lär inkluderas då det antagligen kommer att vara originalprodukterna vi får ta del av.

Sonic Adventure

Sonic Adventure är ren nostalgi hemma hos mig. Sonics Dreamcast-debut i 3D var otroligt snabb, och även om kameran är bångstyrig för en sådan fartkär igelkott som vår blåa hjälte så var det här jag förbluffades över den fantastiska grafiken som Dreamcast levererade på sin tid som nykläckt konsol.

Även om Sonic Adventures år på nacken märks vid det här laget så är det ett nostalgiknippe som jag vill återvända till. På sin tid var det fantastiskt i mina ögon, och jag återvänder gärna en gång till.

Ikaruga

Vill man ha en amerikansk version (en europeisk släpptes aldrig) av Ikaruga får man vara beredd på att öppna plånboken. Det anses av många som det bästa shot em up-spelet genom tiderna, och även om jag inte är en expert på genren är jag beredd att hålla med. Visst finns spelet både till GameCube och Xbox 360, men det gör det knappast sämre för det.

Det kräver en hiskelig reaktionsförmåga, och det ger något till alla sorters shot em up-spelare. En snabb dos underhållning till de som bara vill ägna sig åt kortare sessioner, och en kopiös mängd speltimmar till de som vill bemästra det till fullo.

Nu får vi bara hoppas på att Segas och Sonys avtal gäller, för Dreamcast-eran bjöd på mängder av fantastiska spel som många har gått miste om. Vilka är dina Dreamcast-favoriter som du skulle vilja se till Playstation 3?

Je mériterais d’être lapidé à coups de cailloux sur la place publique pour ne pas avoir fait le monument vidéoludique qu’est Shenmue et un ami a décidé de remédier à ça en me prêtant Shenmue II sur Xbox. Comble de la classe, le jeu contient un DVD intitulé “Shenmue The Movie” et qui retrace en une heure et demie toutes les pérégrinations de Ryo Hasuki dans le premier Shenmue, histoire de ne pas commencer Shenmue II sans trop savoir le pourquoi du comment.

Pour faire court, Shenmue vous met dans la peau de Ryo Hasuki qui décide de venger la mort de son père. Là ou le jeu est merveilleux c’est dans son déroulement totalement libre puisqu’il est possible de faire des petits boulots, de passer son temps dans les salles d’arcade à jouer à Space Harrier et j’en passe. Shenmue est aussi le premier jeu à avoir instauré les QTE que l’on voit de plus en plus dans les jeux actuels. Un jeu incontournable assurément que je vais enfin pouvoir faire

Det är oklart vem som står bakom den här helhärliga Lego-kreationen av Ryo hazuki i hans japanska trädgård, men det är användaren jpark203 på Photobucket som publicerat bilden. Jag undrar hur många timmars planerande och trixande som har gått åt, men slutresultatet är minst sagt imponerande. För mycket fritid eller ren och skär hängivelse?

När de andra flick- och pojkspolingarna spelade Super Nintendo hade jag lämnat det röda företaget och Nintendo 8-bitars för Sega Mega Drive. Visst inhandlades en Playstation, men Sega-fanboyen inom mig vaknade till liv när Dreamcast lanserades och jag kastade all skit jag kunde på ”motståndarna” för att försöka övertyga alla om att Dreamcast var konsolen man skulle ha. Det fungerar ju verkligen, eller hur? Eller inte. 

Då var man ungefär 13 år, naiv och och ännumer naiv och sa jag naiv? Lika fattig var jag också, och på något underligt sätt försökte jag övertyga både mig själv och alla andra om att det var Segas blåa väg man skulle gå – det vill säga, jag hade inte råd med någon mer ny och dyr konsol. Jag döpte mig till Tommy23 på diverse spelforum, bara för att låta äldre än vad jag var, och när det bråkades med Nintendo-fanboys användes uttrycket, “Du skulle köpa vilken toalett som helst bara det stod Nintendo på den.” Roliga tider då, och riktigt skrattretande såhär i efterhand.

Nu har man mognat, men Sega har ändå en speciell plats i mitt spelhjärta. Shenmue står som den självklara favoriten i spelhyllan, och Yakuza och dess uppföljare har gått varma i både Playstation 2 och Playstation 3. Välkomna till SegaZine!

14 octobre 1999 : il y a 10 ans jour pour jour, la Dreamcast sortait en Europe. Le bulldozer Playstation 2 aura poussé Sega à abandonner la guerre des consoles mais les jeux qui sont sortis sur cette machine sont des anthologies. De Shenmue à Skies of Arcadia, en passant par Marvel vs. Capcom 2, Space Channel 5 et Soul Calibur, la Dreamcast aura sans conteste marqué son empreinte dans le jeu vidéo. C’est la Dreamcast qui a ouvert le jeu en ligne sur console avec Phantasy Star Online et Chu Chu Rocket ou qui a vu naître le premier jeu en cell-shading avec Jet Set Radio. Aujourd’hui encore, la Dreamcast n’est pas vraiment morte comme le prouve ce jeu de caisses à sortir ce mois-ci et les nombreux jeux issus de la machine à sortir sur le XBLA.

Happy Birthday Dreamcast

A SEGA só pode estar de brincadeira! Além de cega e surda ao clamor dos fãs pedindo pela continuação das séries Shenmue e Phantasy Star (perdão pelo trocadilho infame, não resisti), ela me vem com a notícia de que seu próximo jogo, Sonic & Sega Racing Stars, terá como personagem jogável Ryo Hazuki, da série Shenmue.

Que absurdo!

Não bastasse cometer mancada em cima de mancada, como não nos dar o desfecho das aventuras de Ryo até hoje, ela ainda coloca o coitado pra correr junto com o Sonic e fazendo pose de bonzão no próximo clone do Mario Kart… faça-me o favor!

Bom, pra me animar um pouquinho, vou ver agora o trailer da terceira, e jamais lançada, versão de seu jogo original, Shenmue:

Quem sabe um dia…

SEGA se a dado el lujo de incluir al protagonista de Shenmue en su nuevo juego de carreras “Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing”.

Estan de moda los cameos??,hara acto de precencia en el nuevo Yakuza 4??, lo veremos en algun juego nuevo, solo el tiempo lo dira.

SEGA has officially stepped up the amount of awesome that was already flooding their upcoming Mario Kart-esque game, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing. The already fairly large cast has now been enlarged even further with the addition of fan favorite hero Ryo Hazuki, from SEGA’s massively popular Shenmue games.

The trailer above not only shows Ryo riding his awesome motorcycle, but it also shows him on a forklift. That’s right. . . a forklift. Before this, I was only passing through the thought of picking this up, but it has now officially became a must-have for me.

We thought Sega would never do it, but they did… Sega icon Ryo Hazuki returns to the video gaming spotlight in Sonic & Sega All-Star Racing.  And he’s driving a bike and a forklift.  Oh, joy!

Nessuno ci credeva più, ma ebbene sì, SEGA si è ricordata che ha un amato personaggio di nome Ryo Hazuki! Era dai tempi di Shenmue 2 per Xbox che era stato dato per disperso e invece eccolo che riappare! Peccato che non in Shenmue 3….

L’amato/misconosciuto protagonista della Saga di Shenmue, difatti, parteciperà a Sonic & SEGA-All-Stars Racing, il nuovo gioco guida in stile Mario Kart dell’eterna rivale della Nintendo. E ci parteciperà con la sua tonica Harley Davidson! =)

Ecco un video della sua apparizione nel gioco:

E ora tutti noi insieme incrociamo le dita per Shenmue 3!!! *fingers crossed*

New trailer reveals that Ryo Hazuki from the fan loved Shenmue series will return…in a racing game! It’s a start I guess! Ryo will ride a motorcycle and I gotta say the guy looks pretty sweet compared to whatever the fuck Eggman is riding in this trailer.

If you played Sega Superstar Tennis you might remember the specials characters had, the same goes here and in this case Ryo’s bike is swapped for a …forklift?

- Samuel Evans / StingX2

Source: Sega.com

Being careful not to run with a post title that is misleading in any way to bump my page hits (yes, you know who you are, don’t deny it!) I have to start this post by saying that Shenmue III does not exist. But Sega, the lovely fan-service merchants that they are, have revealed that Shenmue hero Ryo Hazuki will be making a comeback in their forthcoming All-Star Racing game that will screech into top gear in 2010.

Ryo will be taking on Sonic, Alex Kidd and company in a racing extravaganza that will see a slew of 16-bit relics dusting off their pixels for a round of over-the-top action that Miyamoto and his lawyers will in no way be comparing to Mario Kart. 

Forums around the world are lighting up with angry Shenmue fans calling the inclusion of Ryo an insult, demanding that Sega stop faffing around and release the canned third chapter of the sprawling revenge epic. I don’t know about you, but its been so long that I really don’t give a toss if Sega never release the third chapter. Time makes the heart grow fonder ladies and gentlemen and going back to the original Shenmue myself a few months back I have to say it just isn’t as amazing as I remember it. Or maybe I’m just getting cynical in my old age?

I digress…

All Star Racing sees Ryo riding atop his snazzy motorbike and unleashing a special ‘All-Star’ attack that turns his hog into a forklift from the Shenmue racing mini-games. It’s a neat touch and if the superb and incredibly nostalgic All-Star Tennis is anything to go by, this will be another slice of generous fan service for Sega-heads.

Who would you like to see included in the game/ Bagsy Axel from Streets of Rage 2!!

Por Barry Burton

Conhecem Ryo Hazuki? Provavelmente não, pois apesar de Shenmue ter sido um jogaço, poucas pessoas se deram ao trabalho de ajudar o jovem japonês a vingar seu pai enquanto colecionava bonequinhos da SEGA e pilotava empilhadeiras. Eu incluso ainda estou esperando o Dreamcast emprestado, ok maxi?.

Pois ele está de volta! Mas não pensem que é um Shenmue 3, e muito menos o enfadonho Shenmue Online. Se vocês não acharam estranho Frank West em Tatsunoko vs Capcom, saibam que agora Ryo é o mais novo piloto do jogo Sonic & SEGA All-Star Racing!

Confiram no vídeo abaixo:

Notícia original no joystiq, no qual um dos usuários, CTC XBL-supapaypamawio [Planeteer | Power of the Anti-Fanboy Bitch Slap] (sim, é esse o nick dele), teceu o hilário comentário:

“Adoro a forma como é chamado, ‘Sonic & SEGA All-Stars‘. É bom ver que a Sega sabe que o Sonic não pode mais ser considerado um All-Star.”

Sega’s fourth title of it’s Shenmue-ish franchise, Yakuza, is to have in-game advertising and real world product placement. Andriasang reports that Yakuza 4 will house the Japanese Ad technology, Double Fusion which will stream ads right from the very internet itself. Such a move is usually followed by a plethora of comments on how in-game advertising is evil yet for a game which aims to immerse the player into a realistic setting, isn’t such a move adding to that realism? The Yakuza series is famous for recreating various cities in Japan with great detail so the inclusion of advertising is just another added detail if you ask me. What I do get behind is if we are going to see more of this type of thing then I would hope the price of games would drop, being subsidised by advertising revenue. I know, I know, wishful thinking and all that… Yakuza 4 will be out for the PS3 next spring.