Quirky Vehicle-Based Platformer City Connection Is Coming to Sega Genesis/Mega Drive
Last Updated on September 6, 2023
Jaleco’s Arcade Classic City Connection is getting a physical release on the Sega Genesis/Megadrive thanks to Japanese developer Habit Soft.
Habit Soft is no stranger to ports like this, and they are also developing Gunstream, a new Space Shooter for the Sega Game Gear. The company’s past endeavors include an official ‘Bases Loaded‘ port for the GameBoy Color. Like Bases Loaded, City Connection looks to be officially licensed, too, with the copyright symbol emblazoned on the front. To make things confusing, a company called City Connection owns Jaleco’s video game assets.
If you’ve not played before, in City Connection, you control an orange car (A Honda City Hatchback, to be more precise) and try to paint every tile on the road while avoiding hazards like cop cars and cats. It’s as unique and bizarre as it sounds, and the car does a cute little wheelie whenever you change direction. While some criticized the game for its simplicity, others praised it for the same thing. I’ve not sunk hours into the title, but it’s fun and part of the NES Library on the Nintendo Switch Virtual Console.
City Connection hit the Arcades in 1985 and was ported to the NES, MSX, and ZX Spectrum. The NES port, in particular, was a hit in Japan, and Clarice, the Driver, is credited as being one of the first female leads in a console video game. Since then, the title has seen ports to multiple consoles, including the PlayStation 4.
Projects like this are inherently niche, but it’s cool to see an NES game ported over to a Sega Console and with official backing too. Even if you don’t have access to an old console, there are dozens of avenues to try the game out, including the Hamster Archives.
Anthony is a freelance writer and has worked in the industry for four years. He’s furiously competitive and is always looking for the next big multiplayer hit. Anthony is a passionate PS1 collector and firmly believes in playing his retro games rather than letting them collect dust on a shelf. He also loves speedrunning and always looks forward to the next GDQ and ESA events.
