A playable demo of Sonic 3 Unlocked, a ROM hack for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis version of Sonic 3, has been released as part of the Sonic Hacking Contest 2026. The hack brings Sonic Mania Plus's Encore Mode and additional playable characters to the classic game. via timeextension.com
Modder Joe, known as SEGARPGFAN, has released hacks adding online play to four Sega Saturn games: Touge King, Last Bronx, Die Hard Arcade and Herc's Adventures. The hacks work with NetLink and Xband modem cartridges, letting players connect these originally offline titles online. via segasaturnshiro.com
Developer TrekkiesUnite118 has shown new progress on a work-in-progress Sega Saturn port of the original Final Fantasy, built using the NES version as its base. The project, started in 2020, was demonstrated as playable in an update shared on the SegaXtreme forum. via segasaturnshiro.com
Developer eldontyrell has released PsychoFox-Next, a free conversion of Sega's Master System platformer Psycho Fox for the ZX Spectrum Next. The port was made with AI-assisted code and graphics and uses joystick controls. via itch.io
EAB moderator Cody Jarrett has released a conversion of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog 2 for the Commodore Amiga AGA, built with AI-assisted code. The port includes all eleven zones, cooperative and 2-Player VS modes with Tails, and the special stages, running from the original logo through to the end credits. via indieretronews.com
A project called Second Screen Archive aims to preserve pixel art displayed on the Dreamcast's Visual Memory Unit, a peripheral with a tiny 48 by 32 pixel monochrome screen. It began as an attempt to find Soulcalibur's VMU artwork and grew into recovering the images directly from the games themselves, with 19 character portraits from Soulcalibur recovered so far. via thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk
Sega Saturn Shiro's #BestOfSaturn series has featured Dracula X: Nocturne in the Moonlight, the Japan-exclusive 1998 Saturn port of Konami's Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. The spotlight covers the port of the acclaimed PlayStation original, in which Dracula's castle has reappeared. via segasaturnshiro.com
Former MotoGP and World Endurance Championship rider Sylvain Guintoli has auctioned off his unique Sega-designed "Dark Rider - Year of the Shadow" motorbike, themed around Shadow the Hedgehog. The sale raised $279,000, far above its estimated value, with proceeds going to charity. via timeextension.com
A code found in the censored Sega Mega Drive port of StormLord not only restores the content removed for that version but also reveals hidden developer credits. The discovery comes 36 years after the game's original release. via console-classics.com
Following last week's Nintendo 64 port of Halo: Combat Evolved, reports now confirm the Xbox launch title can run on the Sega Dreamcast as well. via retrododo.com
Developer cb-fgc has released a version of Strategic Simulations' Advanced Dungeons & Dragons RPG Pool of Radiance for the Atari ST, using AI assistance to adapt the game decades after an originally announced ST release never materialized. The story also notes an expanded version of the game for the Sega Mega Drive. via indieretronews.com
Sega Saturn Shiro's Under the Microscope series has profiled Phantasm, the Japanese-exclusive Saturn port of the controversial PC game Phantasmagoria. The release featured celebrity voice actors, new music, and spanned a large number of discs. via segasaturnshiro.com
