Collectors preserve almost lost Sonic arcade game through emulation

Waku Waku Sonic Patrol vehicle is a 1991 Japanese arcade game for children, in which they steer a police auto through traffic, obeying the road laws and battling Eggman. As such, when you’re done enjoying this rare gem – and the first Sonic game to feature voice acting – maybe you should throw him a couple of bucks to show your gratitude. It’s a historical curiosity simply for being an early title associated with Sega‘s blue mascot. If you weren’t in Japan that year (so…pretty much all of us), you’ve probably never played it, as it has never been released again, ever, in any format. Kotaku reports that the version that’s coming to MAME is coming from collector Will Medved, who found a machine in Japan and had it imported off his own back. That makes the recent acquisition of an original arcade board something truly special, because now it will finally be playable as a ROM along with the next MAME release. Why raise money? Because that included the game ($350), shipping ($3000), and additional costs ($2000). Beyond that, there are also countless other titles listed on sites like UnMAMEd and System 16.

Some folks have obtained a functioning arcade board for Sonic Patrol auto , meaning players will soon be able to be disappointed by this piece of Sega history thanks to the power of emulation.