Fun Fact: The Gamecube has Hidden startup sounds: Hold down Z or use multiple controllers and Z to unlock alternate boot chime melodie

In today’s email:

• Digital Eclipse Serves Up Golden Tee Arcade Classics

• Sega’s Surprise: 9 Retro Classics Now Free & Ad‑Free on Mobile!

• Sonic Mania Plus on Dreamcast: A Fan-Powered Port Worth the Nostalgia

Digital Eclipse Serves Up Golden Tee Arcade Classics

If you spent your youth launching virtual globes in smoky arcades or neighborhood bars, buckle up. Digital Eclipse—known for its retro magic—just announced Golden Tee Arcade Classics. It drops July 17 on PC, Switch, PlayStation 4/5, and Xbox One/Series X/S, with physical editions coming October 24.

Why This Collection Hits the Sweet Spot

Golden Tee runs deep. First launched in 1989 by Incredible Technologies, it became the go-to trackball golf game, spawning bar tournaments and a cult following. Digital Eclipse’s version features:

• Six classic titles: Golden Tee Classic, 3D Golf, ’97, ’98, ’99, and 2K

• Two bonus games: ShuffleShot & World Class Bowling

• Modern touches:

  • Practice mode (unlimited swings)

  • Mulligans (redo bad shots)

  • On-screen virtual trackball + full controller/touch/keyboard support 

Atari’s Mike Mika calls Golden Tee “a cultural phenomenon” that “brought people together.” Now it can unite friends at home.

What’s In the Bag?

Here’s the full eight-game lineup :

1. Golden Tee 3D Golf (the 1995 bar hit)

2. Golden Tee ’97

3. Golden Tee ’98

4. Golden Tee ’99

5. Golden Tee 2K

6. Golden Tee Classic

7. ShuffleShot

8. World Class Bowling

New Features Breakdown

• Practice mode – unlimited swings to polish those drives

• Mulligans – friendly do-overs for tougher shots

• Control flexibility – simulate the classic trackball or use modern inputs

• Multiplayer – up to 4 folks can tee off

• Trophies & achievements – challenge yourself and your friends

Why You Should Care

• Arcade nostalgia meets 2025 convenience – all the course-clutch moments, no quarters or bar smoke

• Skill-building fun – practice + mulligans = a no-pressure environment to master

• Group friendly – perfect for hangouts, tournaments, even family game nights

Quick Facts at a Glance

• Digital release: July 17

• Physical release: Oct 24 (PS5 & Switch)

• Price: ~$39.99 (about £22/€26) 

Maybe you haven’t touched an arcade cabinet in decades. Doesn’t matter. Golden Tee Arcade Classics brings back the thrill—now polished, accessible, and ready for modern gamers. It’s not just retro for retro’s sake. It’s a celebration of competitive fun, intentional design, and those moments when one perfect spin of the trackball could change everything.

So dust off your swing, rally your crew, and get ready to tee up like it’s 1995—all from your living room sofa.

Heads-Up

• Pre-orders are live on PS5 and Switch platforms

• Trackball purists can replicate the original feel with the on-screen version 

Sega’s Surprise: 9 Retro Classics Now Free & Ad‑Free on Mobile!

Guess what dropped this week? Sega quietly made nine mobile retro gems completely free and ad-free on iOS and Android. But there's a twist: these titles are being pulled soon. And if you want them forever, there's no time to waste.

Sega’s Sega Forever program officially ended in late 2023. Now, as support winds down, they’ve:

• Removed ads and in-app purchases from nine classic mobile games.

• Added in‑game notices: “Support for this game will be discontinued, but you can continue playing offline.”

So, you get a permanent license to these retro hits—as long as you download before delisting.

What’s Available Now

Here’s the full list of games you can grab (for free!) today:

• Crazy Taxi Classic

• Golden Axe Classics (I, II & III)

• Shining Force Classics (I, II & Shining in the Darkness)

• Sonic CD Classic

• Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode II

• Streets of Rage Classic

• Streets of Rage 2 Classic

• Super Monkey Ball: Sakura Edition

• Virtua Tennis Challenge

That’s 13 games total if you count the collections—all playable offline, all ad-free.

Tips to Claim Before It’s Too Late

1. Open your App Store or Google Play right now.

2. Search for each title above.

3. Tap “Install” before they vanish from the store.

4. Once downloaded, the game is yours—even after delisting.

No future paywalls. No ads. Just classic Sega gameplay at your fingertips.

Real Talk from Retro Fans

Yep—fans are hyped. It's nostalgic, free, and fleeting. Exactly why you should snag them now.

Looking Ahead

Will Sega ever bring these to another platform? Maybe. But for now? This is it—a last hurrah for mobile retro Sega.

Wish they’d launch a proper “Netflix of retro games”? You’re not alone. For now, this free unlock is a solid consolation.

Pro Tip

Already own these titles? Great! They’ll stay installed and playable—even post-delisting. But it never hurts to keep them updated just in case.

Bottom line: If you’ve ever wanted to relive Sega’s arcade, Genesis, or Dreamcast days on your phone or tablet, this is your moment.

Go grab them now—nostalgia waits for no one.

Sonic Mania Plus on Dreamcast: A Fan-Powered Port Worth the Nostalgia

Ever wondered what it’d feel like to play Sonic Mania Plus on your beloved Dreamcast? A fan team led by SonicFreak94 just made that dream a reality—and it’s faster than ever.

Why this is wild

• 2018’s Sonic Mania Plus dropped for modern consoles and PC, celebrating the iconic Genesis era.

• Fast forward to 2025, and someone’s got it running directly on a 1998 Dreamcast. That’s 27 years of tech evolution squeezed into a 60 FPS performance marvel .

• With only 16 MB RAM, this fan project squeezes in remade levels, retro graphics, and smooth gameplay—minus sound and some 3D effects, for now.

The porting magic

• Built using the KallistiOS SDK and SH‑ELF‑GCC 14.1.0 toolchain to stream assets efficiently.

• All 13 zones? Playable.

• Frame rate? A consistent 60 FPS on real hardware.

• The audio and 3D bumpers are work-in-progress—but gameplay is already polished.

Why it matters

1. Dreamcast homebrew resurgence
   This shows the console’s AI‑chip era design still packs a punch. Porting a 2018 title to 1998 hardware? That’s technical flexing.

2. Retro purist appeal
   Genesis‑style pixel art + smooth gameplay on OG hardware. You can almost smell the nostalgia.

3. Community-driven passion
   It’s fan-powered, outside official Sega support. That’s pure grassroots devotion.

What’s next?

• Audio engine coming soon.

• 3D bumpers and special stages still being integrated.

• No build available yet, but sources are on GitHub—follow @SonicFreak94 for updates.

Final Take

This isn’t just another fan mod—it’s a masterpiece of retro engineering. It squeezes modern Sonic mania into vintage silicon and keeps the experience buttery-smooth. Want to see your Dreamcast blaze again? This is the kind of project that gets it racing.

Curious what other modern fan ports Dreamcast could pull off? I’d love to see Breath of the Wild lite or a classic SNES title like Star Fox Adventures hitting the console.

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We hope you tune back in for our next issue, where we'll dive deep into more retro gaming news!