Good Deal Games Interview
Michael Thomasson of Good Deal Games talks to us about his company's new(!) Sega CD titles - by BenT
<mailto:bent@planetdreamcast.com>
Michael Thomasson,
head honcho of Good
Deal Games.
The Sega CD was Sega's answer to both the TurboGrafx-16's CD-ROM add-on and Nintendo's
technologically superior SNES. It promised to harness the power of the relatively new CD-ROM medium
by providing a then-unprecedented amount of storage space and the high quality audio inherent to the
CD format. In addition, the new hardware had special sprite scaling and rotation routines, which were
superior to similar features present in the SNES.
Unfortunately, this new brawn came at a hefty price -- $300, for starters. As you might imagine,
consumers were a little slow to catch on to this expensive new device, especially since it required a
separate Genesis unit to function. It also didn't help that the initial year or so of software support was
extremely underwhelming. Titles like Wonderdog and Wolfchild did little to take advantage of the new
format, despite what certain vintage GameFan writers may have thought.
Considering all of the above, many people consider the Sega CD a failure. However, while it certainly
wasn't an unabashed success, it actually turned out to be one of the most successful console add-ons
ever created. One unofficial source estimates that Sega moved in excess of 2 million Sega CDs in the
United States alone -- hardly a failure in terms of sales, even if it was only supported for the two and a
half years before Saturn launched. But success or not, this is all ancient history, as the Sega CD is dead
and buried.
Or... is it? Michael Thomasson of Good Deal Games <http://www.gooddealgames.com> thinks the old
add-on might have some life in it yet, and he's backing up such claims with some action: his company
has released two brand new, never-before-seen Sega CD games! What's more, they have yet another
game coming in the near future, and more promised beyond that. But hey, I'm getting ahead of myself.
The two current titles are Bug Blasters: The Exterminators and Star Strike, and we talked with Michael
about these games and a whole lot more. Let's dig in!
PlanetDreamcast: First, tell us a bit about Good Deal Games. Are you a for-profit business? What does
your organization do?
Michael Thomasson: While we are a legitimate business, pay our share of taxes, I would hardly say
that GDG is for profit. Since we formed the company years ago, we have put 100% of the profits back
into the website. Everyone involved in GDG has yet to take a single penny from the organization - it is
definately a labor of love. Our mission is to support those that still value their antiquated gaming
consoles. This encompasses our interviews w/ classic gaming programmers and developers, supporting
new 'homebrew' projects, 'how to' articles, and more. GDG is first and foremost a hobbyist site and
gathering place for classic gaming enthusiests. The sales department, which has little markup, exists to
support the cause. We like to think of ourselves as gaming historians.
PlanetDreamcast: You currently have two "new" Sega CD games on offer, Bug Blasters and Star Strike.
How did it happen that GDG got to release these so far after the original Sega CD market died?
Michael Thomasson: These games were completed, but never reached the market due to what we like
to call 'insect politics.' The story is quite complicated, and we choose not to speak poorly of certain
parties involved. The real issue is that there were games completed, that never reached the market for
one reason or another. It is a shame that these titles have layed dormant for years, and never enjoyed.
There are those that would like the opportunity to try the titles, and the developers which spent so many
hours creating these games would like to see their hard work in the hands of those that would appreciate
their efforts. While GDG is paying a licensing fee for each game sold, there is really little money to made
for everyone involved.
PlanetDreamcast: Who is your target audience for these titles?
Michael Thomasson: True gamers, hobbyists, and collectors - and anyone else who is still playing their
Sega CD!
PlanetDreamcast: How many units of each were manufactured? If they sell out, would a second
pressing be possible?
Michael Thomasson: We choose to keep these numbers to ourselves, but I assure you that these
games will be VERY collectable. A very small amount of these games have been created, and definately
much less than any other title released for the Sega CD.
PlanetDreamcast: Were the games 100% finished, or did you have to go in there and tie up some
loose ends?
Michael Thomasson: The first three releases are complete (Star Strike, Bug Blasters: The
Exterminators, and Wing Nuts.) Two of the games we uncovered were labeled, 'Final Code.' However, we
have found one descrepency in Bug Blasters: The Exterminators where the player is told that they only
have one 'flare' and one 'gas grenade' yet the program allows the use of these items at anytime during
certain levels. This does not really affect the gameplay, since the items are used to retreat, meaning
during the game, if you haven't blasted a target recently and fear that you are about to be hit by an
insect, that you can use them and escape. At this point in the game, once a flare or gas grenade is used,
the game simply 'rewinds' the level so that you may try again - the player would still have to complete
the level to proceed through the game.
PlanetDreamcast: Does your team have the know-how to actually program Sega CD code? For
example, could you create a custom frontend for an unfinished game?
Michael Thomasson: Our programmers make original games for our Online Arcade, for play within a
web browser. Concerning the Sega CD, all that I can say is, not yet...
PlanetDreamcast: Can you tell us any cool trivia about the Sega CD hardware?
Michael Thomasson: When the Sega CD was first being created, developers were told to create games
for a high memory cartridge. The CD-Rom format was top secret, and was not announced even to
insiders until the Tokyo Toy Show.
The only game to utilize the expanded color pallette (256 Colors Simultaneously) was the Eternal
Champions CD.
PlanetDreamcast: Other Sega CD FMV games featured... personalities... such as Corey Haim and Dana
Plato . Are there any recognizable names in Bug Blasters or Star Strike?
Michael Thomasson: Not that I am aware of, but I certainly am not the person to ask about famous
personalities. My wife, JoAnn is constantly baffled when she comments about a particular star that she is
reading an article about in her copy of 'People' Magazine, and I reply, "who?"
PlanetDreamcast: Would you say the video quality and other technical tidbits are about equal to
other Sega CD FMV games?
Michael Thomasson: The FMV is as good, if not superior, to any other fmv on the console
excluding the 32X enhanced versions. The full-motion-video encompasses the entire screen, as
well. Many Sega CD games such as Night Trap and Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective only
displayed video in a miniature window.
The developer was getting very good at jumping to quick clips by the time these games were
developed due to their experience with ealier titles they helped create. There is very little lag or
loading time, and that is certainly an unusual, but pleasant, occurance for the platform.
PlanetDreamcast: What about playability? Do you foresee these games appealing to more than
the hardcore collector's market?
Michael Thomasson: Both of these initial releases are Full-Motion-Video (FMV), which was
surrounded with some contraversy at the time for the Sega CD. We recognize that fmv games are
not favored by everyone, while they are enjoyed by others. We do recognize that fmv is not the
'ideal' game mechanic for many gamers, but the opportunity for us to release these titles and get
them available was our primary goal, and serves to support an unsupported platform to those that
will enjoy these particular types of games.
These games are shooting games, meaning the player moves a cross-hair over the video footage,
and destroys mutated bugs or intergalactic space travelling vehicles, depending on the particular
title being played. While some footage is the same every game, some footage is randomnly
placed, so the gameplay does have some diversity. For those individuals which do not enjoy
FMV games, their primary argument seems to be the lack of play mechanics. However, these are
first and foremost shooting games - these titles could have been done w/ traditional sprite
techniques, or even digitized sprites such as Konami's Lethal Enforcers. The issue isn't the fmv
format, but whether the game player likes shooting games.
PlanetDreamcast: We understand you had to create the manuals from scratch. What tools and
software were required to create a nice, professional manual? Did you base the format on that of
other Sega CD game manuals, or just wing it? Was it a hassle to find the correct paper stock?
Michael Thomasson: Well, I'm a professional 3D animator by trade, and a graphic designer
before that, so I had access to the proper tools and equipment needed to create the new artwork.
Marketing material was never created for either Bug Blasters: The Exterminators nor Star Strike,
so I took the task in hand. Personally, I am very happy with the products final look and design.
Wing Nuts did have completed artwork. We are evaluating the original designs currently, but
have yet to decide if we will use them. We have also created compositions of our own for
comparison.
Concerning paper stock, it simply wasn't an issue that we felt needed our attention. Our fourpage manuals are on a slightly different cardstock, and of course the format is different, since we
have released these games in the standard CD-Rom jewel case, as opposed to the fragile vertical
plastic cases that Sega originally used.
This isn't the first time that GDG has contributed to the classic gaming scene. GDG has also
created all the covers for Classic Gamer Magazine ,the logo for Syzygy Magazine, the box
artwork for Songbird 's Lynx game Championship Rally, and more! All of which we have
donated graciously without financial compensation.
PlanetDreamcast: The cover art for both titles looks very good. Did you have production
resources like concept art and CG renders to draw upon?
Michael Thomasson: We had nothing except for the final gaming code to work with, that was it.
Fortunately, we were granted great freedom to create what we thought would work best for the
products. Of course, game screenshots, were also included in the design.
PlanetDreamcast: According to your website, you'll be publishing another "lost" game called
Wing Nuts in the not-too-distant future. Can you tell us anything about that?
Michael Thomasson: Wing Nuts is by far the better of the three products, originally designed
for release by Rocket Science Games. More details will be available online at the GDG website
soon!
PlanetDreamcast: What's in the future for GDG? Are you planning to release games for other
abandoned systems? If so, any hints on platforms or titles?
Michael Thomasson: We hope to publish games of all genres for multiple platforms. We are
currently in negotiations for a 'platform' game for the Sega CD, and more. Initially we will
support CD based consoles such as the Sega CD and 3DO, since production costs are much
cheaper than manufacturing cartridges, which allows us to get the products to the game playing
public at a smaller price. However, we do have preliminary programming being done for the
INTV and Vectrex, and if these 'experiments' are successful, we may take the venture further.
I need to stress again, that this venture is a real risk for a small company like GDG, so support on
these initial releases is absolutely CRITICAL for future releases to come to light. If the gaming
community supports us, we will continue to support them. For those of that have already
purchased the GDG Publishing launch titles, we salute and thank you!
...And I'd like to thank Michael for his candid and informative answers. FMV games may not be
for everyone, but I'll certainly be picking up copies of these games both for the collecting aspect
and to support the great work Good Deal Games is doing. If you're into retro stuff, I'd
recommend you do the same. How else will we see new games for these late, great systems?