The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games

Prior to the arrival of the Sega Genesis, video games were still largely considered “kid stuff,” but with a far more mature and eclectic range of titles, and an understanding of what gamers wanted, Sega and its Genesis/Mega Drive console began to shift the expectations for what gaming could be. Never scared to innovate, Sega’s impact on the industry continues to this day through the games they originally developed and the technology their consoles pushed into the mainstream.

Featuring interviews with the creators of over 40 games on the Sega Genesis console including Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Altered Beast, Aladdin, Earthworm Jim and NHL 95, this book gives a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of some of the influential, iconic, and sometimes forgotten games on Sega’s most important contribution to the game industry. The interviewees reveal the challenges of working with mega publishers, the uncertainties of public reception, and the creative processes that produced some of the 16-bit era’s classic titles.

Patrick Hickey, Jr., is the founder and editor-in-chief of ReviewFix.com and a lecturer of English and journalism at Kingsborough Community College, in Brooklyn, New York. Over the past decade, his video game coverage has been featured in national ad campaigns by Nintendo, Disney and EA Sports.

Series editor Matthew Wilhelm Kapell teaches American studies, anthropology, and writing at Pace University in New York.

Patrick Hickey, Jr.
Foreword by Tony Barnes; Afterword by Ken Horowitz
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 291
Bibliographic Info: 125 photos, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8359-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4501-8
Imprint: McFarland
Series: Studies in Gaming

Acknowledgments ix
Foreword by Tony Barnes 1
Preface 3
Introduction 5
Bill Willis, Sonic the Hedgehog 2—Stand by Me 7
Rieko Kodama, Altered Beast—The “Genesis” of the Arcade Port 12
John Fulbright, Shadowrun—Rolling the Natural 20 on Genesis 16
Jonathan Miller, Chakan: The Forever Man—When the Genesis Got Dark
 24
Louis Castle, Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun—D&D’s Only Genesis Adventure 30
Michael McNally, Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday—When Buck Rogers Met the Genesis 35
Don Traeger, Haunting Starring Polterguy—Something Different, Something Creative 41
Jeffry Nauman, General Chaos—Softball and Strategy 45
Kevin McGrath and Don Traeger, The Immortal—Action-izing the Adventure Genre and Sega’s First Fatality
 51
David Warhol, Normy’s Beach Babe-O-Rama—The Strip That Got Stripped on Genesis, But Not Forgotten 57
Zack Manko, Lethal Wedding—A Vow of Awesomeness 62
Kevin McGrath, Populous—A Port to Remember 67
Barbara Michalec, Ren & Stimpy: Stimpy’s Invention—Find 1M of Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy
 72
John Pedigo, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie—From Mullet to Morphin 83
Mark Flitman, Virtual Bart—Drop the Glasses, Keep the Gameplay 88
David Perry, Earthworm Jim—Doug’s Big Break, David Breaks Shiny New Ground 95
Jonathan Miller, Spider-Man—Fake It and Make It 99
Jonathan Miller, X-Men 2: Clone Wars—Xavier’s Dream Realized on Genesis 106
Chris Shrigley, Ex-Mutants—Welcome to the States
 111
Barbara Michalec, Jeff Jonas and John Fulbright, Desert Demolition Starring Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote—An Animated “Blast” and an Administrative Nightmare 115
Erik Kiss, Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego?—A Quarter Past or a Quarter After? 128
Dan Kitchen, Goofy’s Hysterical History Tour—A Night at the Museum 134
Chris Shrigley, Gargoyles—Goliath in the Dark Room
 139
Barbara Michalec, Ariel the Little Mermaid—Big Girls Don’t Cry—They Code
 143
Louis Castle, The Lion King—King of the 16-Bit Jungle 156
David Perry, Aladdin—A Whole New World on the Genesis 161
Tony Barnes, Jungle Strike—64 Bytes and a Prayer for the Dying 166
Tony Barnes, Urban Strike—Strike of the Jedi 172
Lee Actor and Don Traeger, PGA Tour Golf—A Piece of the EA Sports Foundation 178
Dave Warfield, Coach K College Basketball—The First College Try 183
Michael Brook, NFL 98—The End of an Era 188
Perry Rodgers, Roger Clemens’ MVP Baseball—A Grand Slam of Perspective 194
Amory Wong, NBA Live 95—When Hockey Met the Hardwood
 200
Chris Taylor and Kevin Pickell, Triple Play ’96—Third Name’s a Charm 207
Dave Warfield, Skitchin’—A Bitchin’ Ride 212
Lee Actor, Hard Drivin’—Through the Loop and Cow
 218
Scott Berfield, Evander Holyfield’s Real Deal Boxing—Sega’s First Real Knockout 222
Craig Broadbooks, ESPN National Hockey Night—The Original Sony FaceOff 226
Michael Brook, NHL 95—Following Greatness 235
Lee Actor, Pit-Fighter—Smaller Fighters, Still Big Time Fun 243
David Leitch, Primal Rage—Probe’s Other Bloody Port 248
Jeff Peters, Mortal Kombat 3—Creating a Perfect Port 254
Jason Weesner, Mark Botta, Jeff Jonas and Barbara Michalec, Vectorman—BlueSky’s Overtime Epic 263
Afterword by Ken Horowitz 277
Conclusion 279
Index 281