This June marks the 30th anniversary of an iconic and timeless video game mascot:
Sonic the Hedgehog. After arriving on the Sega Genesis the 16-bit little console that could on June 23, 1991, the game quickly became a buzzworthy system seller and corporate mascot. It was a defining character of the ’90s, and a phenomenon the company needed to stand a chance against rival Nintendo.
Gotta Go Fast
The brainchild of Yuji Naka,
Sonic the Hedgehog touted vibrant graphics and innovative level design. The speed of its gameplay ran rings around Mario and became the emphasis of Sega’s famously angsty and clever “Sega Does What Nintendon’t” marketing campaign. Let’s not forget Sonic’s image and design itself, with that spunky attitude, odd blue color, and enigmatic attributes completely the opposite of a real hedgehog. Sonic had it all, a recipe for success in the ’90s video game market. Sega pushed Sonic as the cooler option for teens and adults Mario was for kids. And i
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This Week in Games
May 14th 2021
Hey hey! Welcome back to This Week in Games. It s a little bit of a light news week, which is probably for the best because, as you read this, I ll be in the hospital undergoing surgery. Nothing too major, and I should be back home for the weekend, but surgery is still not very fun in general! At least I have a bunch of Switch and PS4 games to keep me happy while I m recovering – I ve been specifically saving
A timeline of Mortal Kombat ripoffs from the 1990s
NetherRealm’s winning formula kicked off a gold rush that never panned out
Graphic: James Bareham/Polygon
did.
In a five-year span, video gamers in arcades and their homes were overrun by fighting games that followed the same format: battles to the death, often organized by some supernatural being; a sinister announcing voice commanding players to execute a helpless opponent; gratuitously brutal finishers that seemed designed to provoke outrage and controversy, and secret moves with inside-joke meanings.
Here is a timeline of nine unapologetic
Mortal Kombat ripoffs. It’s noteworthy how many of them had launches that were scrubbed, and how many are linked to a platform’s demise in the late 1990s.
Vice Adm. Jeff Hughes is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and a 1988 graduate of Duke University with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He graduated with distinction from the Naval War College in 2008 receiving a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies.
He was designated a naval aviator in September 1989 and has flown MH-60R and SH-60B Seahawk helicopters throughout his career.
Hughes’ operational assignments include initial squadron and detachment officer-in-charge/department head tours with the Swamp Foxes of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 44 where he deployed on USS Carr (FFG 52), USS Elrod (FFG 55) and USS John Hancock (DD 981), supporting Strike Group deployments with the USS America (CV-66) and USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67). He was named HSL-44 Pilot of the Year and was the co-recipient of the Commanding Officer s Helmsman Award for calendar year (CY) 1993. He served as the flag lieutenant to Commander, Carrier Group 4, whe