In other news: https://twitter.com/TheBurpMan/status/401068475218944001 Apparently Chile's Sega Channel service was identical to the USA. I think this says a good bit about how Non-English, Non-Asian NTSC regions were handled. If we can find out anything about the PAL regions, now...
http://I.imgur.com/JTKxKnd.jpg found this image on ebay - it's a page from Game Informer. Why anyone would think a single page from a magazine would sell is anyone's guess. Nothing spectacular, but it might confirm a few things.
There was a US PC version (Windows 95 maybe?) sold, as well. So I'm guessing Nintendo's exclusivity was limited to home console retail. Incidentally, I remember this because I picked up the PC version of Maui Mallard after playing it on Sega Channel when I went specifically looking to buy it and couldn't find it anywhere in stores. I got the PC version as it was the only one I could find (didn't have my SNES yet) and was disappointed that it was a lot different from the Sega version I had played. EDIT: With regards to that sega channel talk page, I'm guessing we're not listing split prototypes as "exclusives"? Because they had versions of Primal Rage and MK3, for example, in the test drive area that were still in development. MK3, for example, split the roster in half, so you could play 1 game as characters A-C, and play the other game as characters X-Z. Primal Rage was the same way. There was also an early version of Sonic 3D Blast put up, but I don't remember it being any different. There was also a version of EWJ2 that had the levels in different orders (and only 1 of each, so, like, you didn't play the flyin king twice) that had a different ending screen as part of a contest to see who could beat the game first. First person to beat the game and get the code (this was all before EWJ2 released) and send it in or maybe post it online or something won a prize.
You may want to check that "The Great Earthworm Jim Race" thread. http://forums.sonicretro.org/index.php?showtopic=32422
From Mega Force (the Spanish edition) #22: http://I.imgur.com/7rxFcAt.jpg Japanese Sega Channel screenshots?
The menus have more in common in American Sega Channel, but that layout doesn't look like anything I'm familiar with.
This is why you can't find it http://media.sonicscanf.org//comics/sonic-the-comic/120/15.jpg (Sonic the Comic #120, January 1998) The UK's Sega Channel was not a nationwide service - it was only available in the North of England. Of course, as someone who lives in the North East I know the definitions of "North" can vary a bit. George Osborne likes to think he's a Northern Chancellor because his constituency is in Cheshire - a three hour drive south for me. The best bet might be to use ITV regions at the time (aka Tyne Tees and Border) It might not be difficult to find details - this was exclusive to the Telewest cable service, and cable coverage was crap in the 90s (and is still pretty crap today - I don't think I can get it). That rules out big chunks of rural Cumbria and Northumberland.
You'll have to ask Megadroid. (...although Mean Machines Sega seem to think there was a South East England rollout too - idk). I should point out that I think the UK's Sega Channel might have died around the time that issue went to print. I'm reading a late 1997 cut-off, although it might have kept running in early 1998. I ran into this accidentally - every time I've looked into Sega Channel stuff I've run into dead ends, but as a lot of people had it in 1997, you can probably find out quite a bit with a bit of a dig. I dig too much though - someone else should dig.
Telewest cable was pretty big in Bristol, possibly more popular than Sky in the 90s. I don't remember the Sega Channel ever launching there. However, I had satellite at that time and it was well past Mega Drive's prime when Sega Channel launched so it's quite possible that I just wasn't aware of it. Incidentally, Bristol had a long history of cable TV, so it likely had a far higher penetration than in most other parts of the UK.
Okay http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/the-games-cable-channels-want-to-play-1338749.html So it was launched in London in the Summer of 1996. And you'll never guess who was at the opening event: Freaking Andi Peters
Andi Peters hosted "Game Talk" on Live and Kicking. Looking at Telewest's financial results for June 30, 1996 they had the following franchises; Code (Text): LONDON SOUTH AVON NORTH EAST SCOTLAND SOUTH EAST COSTWOLDS NORTH WEST MIDLANDS TOTAL ------------ ------- ---------- -------- ---------- --------- ---------- -------- --------- CABLE TELEVISION ---------------- HOMES MARKETED 358,732 249,793 127,025 385,825 109,348 44,513 444,157 302,230 2,021,623 CATV CUSTOMERS 76,456 48,080 24,939 78,125 28,291 10,314 96,102 63,703 426,010 CATV PENETRATION 21.3% 19.2% 19.6% 20.2% 25.9% 23.2% 21.6% 21.1% 21.1% So out of those eight franchises North East & North West were still running in 1997 according to STC, whilst it supposedly also launched in South East.
>Andi Peters That's amazing. Well, I guess it at least made London then (which makes sense, I don't see why the capital wouldn't get it when somewhere like the North East (no offense) did. Part of the problem is that this sort of era is JUST when the web was young enough to exist to the masses but the numbers were small so it's hard to dig for stuff. Newsgroups might not be a bad bet actually, they'd still have some weight at this point in time. Google Groups isn't being the most help, though.
Have some more juicy photos of watermarked Andi Peters Sonic Knuckles action Some people might be able to work out where that is.
Seeing the pink Knuckles design again makes me wonder if there was ever a Sonic 3 prototype build with it, back when the game was still using Sonic 2 sprites. Also, it's surprising to see Sonic's head spikes looking so on-model, in that suit.
STC Issue #84 http://media.sonicscanf.org//comics/sonic-the-comic/084/17.jpg http://media.sonicscanf.org//comics/sonic-the-comic/084/18.jpg This says a lot about the internet - scans of Sonic the Comic have been around for ages, but apparently nobody read this far (except this Sonic the Comic Wiki which might be taking the "wiki" thing to the extreme).
Cool, so just South East (Essex and Kent) at launch followed by North East (1st of September), and North West (1st October). I guess the London "launch" was just a media launch rather than an actual service launch. I guess it never actually launched in South East until a bit later, probably July 1st based on the date of that STC issue and the dates of the other regions. Maybe it never launched in London after all, although Telewest seemed to have been limited to Croydon and nearby areas. I've only really come across posts by people from Liverpool and Newcastle who say that they had it, so I guess that's where Telewest's North East and North West franchises were focused.
https://web.archive.org/web/19970524081204/http://www.telewest.co.uk/about/franchises/ North West: Liverpool, Knowsley, St Helens, Wigan, Blackpool North East: Gateshead, South Tyneside, Newcastle Upon Tyne, North Tyneside South East: Maidstone, Gravesend, Basildon, Chelmsford I guess that after seeing the figures for those regions Telewest decided it wasn't worth the investment to install the necessary equipment in their other franchises. If only it had launched in the UK at the same time as the US whilst the Mega Drive was still relatively popular.
Canada http://strategyonline.ca/1996/06/10/12199-19960610/ Argentina http://adage.com/article/news/argentina-screens-region-s-1st-interactive-tv-channel/11884/ also found me a clean photo.
