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December 2018

Power Button - Episode 281: 2018's Biggest News Revisited

Power ButtonAs another year draws to a close we have invited our old friend Ross Polly back to the show to help us recap the biggest gaming news of 2018.  Classic mini consoles rise and fall, games as a service also means games with advertisements, a major console producer hoovers up smaller studios, and so much more this year it's a wonder that we can fit it all into a little over an hour, but we do.  Join us to help wrap things up.   Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes and Google Play, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. 


Annual Christmas Special Encore! Power Button - Episode 158: Christmas In Videoland

Power ButtonSpecial Christmas encore of our popular holiday episode! It's the holiday season which means that it's the perfect time for us to dedicate an episode of Power Button discussing video games that include Christmas elements such as music remixes, holiday weapons, festive missions, and appearances from Santa Claus himself.  There's some deep cuts mixed in here with the mainstream titles; we cover everything from Christmas trees in Sonic Adventure's Station Square to the special Christmas cheat code in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie's Double Trouble to Banjo-Kazooie's Freezeezy Peak to the special holiday demo of Jazz Jackrabbit to Sega's limited edition Christmas NiGHTS to the hard-to-find Daze Before Christmas from Sunsoft.  Settle in with some egg nog and spend eighty minutes with us this holiday season.  We also sidequest off into NES Remix, adorable amiibo, and much more.  Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!    Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way.


Power Button - Episode 280: The Ultimate Smash!

Power ButtonNintendo's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has overtaken all gaming in both the Green and Grundman households, so of course we're going to spend this week's podcast discussing unlocking characters, World of Light, throwing King K. Rool's crown, and whipping it good with the Belmonts.  Join us for an hour of smashing conversation.   Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes and Google Play, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. 


Power Button - Episode 279: Nintendo 64 Classic Wishlist

Power ButtonSony's recent release of its PlayStation Classic has the gaming community talking about a hypothetical Nintendo 64 Classic console that Nintendo swears is not happening at this time, but we've never let something like that stop us from dreaming and wishlisting.  On this week's episode of the Power Button podcast, Blake Grundman and I discuss the games we believe would need to be included in a N64 Classic console should Nintendo ever decide to create one.  From easy inclusions like Super Mario 64 and Super Smash Bros. to some third party surprises like Mischief Makers and Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire, we take a tour around the 64-bit space.   Download this week's episode directly from PTB, listen with the player below, find us on Stitcher, subscribe via iTunes and Google Play, toss this RSS feed into your podcast aggregation software of choice, and be sure to catch up on past episodes if you're joining us late. Remember that you can reach us via , you can leave a message on the Power Button hotline by calling (720) 722-2781, and you can even follow us on Twitter at @PressTheButtons and @GrundyTheMan, or for just podcast updates, @ThePowerButton. We also have a tip jar if you'd like to kick a dollar or two of support our way. 


Unreleased Sonic the Hedgehog Game Leaks Out

SegaSonic Bros.Once Sega realized they had captured lightning in a bottle with 1991's Sonic the Hedgehog, the company commissioned all kinds of additional games that used the Sonic branding.  Aside from sequels, we've seen plenty of spin-offs that use Sonic in unexpected ways such as Sonic Spinball and Sonic Shuffle, but one of those games - a block-dropping puzzle title for arcades - went unreleased and is only just recently seeing the light of day.  Created by the mind behind Taito titles such as Bubble Bobble and Syvalion, the oddly named SegaSonic Bros. casts Sonic and his differently colored brothers as falling blocks that must be lined up on a 2D grid in a certain way in order to score big points.  While still unavailable for sale, the game leaked out to the Internet earlier this year and is playable in the MAME arcade emulator.  Hardcore Gaming 101 explains it.

SegaSonic Bros. was never released because it failed the location tests, held in late 1992, and Sega deemed it unfit for wide release. And after playing the game for a round or two, it’s easy to see why. For starters, the rules are a little complicated and difficult to explain, even though the pictures in the game’s tutorial mode makes it seem easy. The game also increases levels, and therefore speed, very quickly, which doesn’t give you much time to learn the game before becoming overwhelmed. One of the other issues is that the 2×2 blocks make it difficult to create straight lines – most of the time you’ll have two of the same color next to each other, so you’ll need to prioritize that color when building towards a loop. Standalone colors are useful for finishing loops, but otherwise will just become blocked with the color next to it.

The game seems complicated and not much fun for the arcade setting, plus it doesn't really need to use Sonic at all.  Just about any brand could have been jammed into the basic game without impacting how it plays.  It feels like it would have been more at home on the Game Gear as a competitor to Nintendo's Game Boy pack-in title, Tetris.  Still, hindsight in always 20/20 and Sega made the right call by canning this one.  Fortunately, the game is around now if you're eager to try it and explore another lost corner of Sonic history.