Some games are destined to be lightning rods for controversy, others are technical showcases for fading hardware, and some are cult experiences for players willing to stray off the beaten path. Across the decades, June 23rd became home to all three of these avenues.
Back in the 90s, Night Trap slipped into our Mega-CDs and became a media scapegoat faster than you could say “Sega Control Attack Team.” Come 2001, Sonic Adventure 2 raced onto Dreamcast and proved the blue blur still had the goods, even if his console didn’t. And in 2011, Shadows of the Damned mashed demon slaying, Mexican folklore, and juvenile humour into a gory, grindhouse delight that was somehow both brilliant and baffling.
Today, we dive deep into each of these unforgettable launches because sometimes, looking back is the best way to appreciate just how far gaming’s come.
Night Trap (MCD) 1993
At A Glance
The Mega-CD was already a bit of a gamble, a pricey, bolted-on experiment that promised futuristic FMV gaming before Aussie bandwidth or patience could really handle it. Into that environment slinked Night Trap, a bizarre B-movie thriller where you watched pre-recorded security feeds to save a gaggle of teenage girls from vampiric intruders called Augers. It was part slasher flick, part interactive VCR, and 100 percent lightning rod. The controversy it stirred gave Aussie kids a delicious thrill. This was the game the grown-ups didn’t want us playing. Naturally, we had to see what the fuss was about.
Gameplay Gist
You play as a member of the Sega Control Attack Team, or SCAT — yes, really — watching over a house filled with hidden cameras and even more hidden dangers. Your job is to trap the intruders by switching between rooms at just the right moment and activating a security trap. The trick? The game doesn’t wait for you. It plays like a real-time film, whether you’re watching it or not. Miss a critical event and someone dies. Catch the cues (audio, visual, sometimes just pure guesswork) and you stay in the game. It’s a weird blend of passive viewing and split-second interaction, like being the world’s slowest Twitch streamer.
Connoisseur Cheat Sheet
Night Trap was one of the earliest games to experiment with “branching” video content, though its branches were more like twigs. It heavily inspired future FMV oddities like Phantasmagoria, The Bunker, and even Five Nights at Freddy’s, albeit with a much campier tone.
Kinda Similar
Double Switch (1993), Wirehead (1995), Phantasmagoria (1995)
Behind the Scenes Trivia
The footage for Night Trap was originally shot in 1987 for a VHS-based prototype on a failed console called the NEMO. It sat on a shelf for years until Sega decided to Frankenstein it onto the Mega-CD. Dana Plato, famous for her role on Diff’rent Strokes, starred as one of the teen guests. Her celebrity status gave the game just enough juice to hit mainstream radar, and from there it was off to the races.
Most infamously, the game was cited in US Senate hearings on video game violence in 1993, alongside Mortal Kombat. The drama led to the formation of the ESRB, the ratings board still used today. Australia’s classification board wasn’t far behind in giving it a sideways glance, though back then, media panic came more from tabloid TV than parliament.
Notable Cheats and Easter Eggs
There’s a “Perfect Score” run you can achieve by memorising the exact room-switching schedule to trap every single Auger without a miss. A feat that requires watching the game like it’s the 6 o’clock news. On the 25th Anniversary re-release, you can unlock behind-the-scenes dev footage and an alternate audio commentary.
Core Memory
I first popped this into a second-hand Mega-CD at a mate’s house, expecting a raunchy horror flick the news said was corrupting kids. What we got was far goofier. The dialogue was stiffer than a plastic vampire mask and the Augers moved like drunk theatre kids in wetsuits. But we couldn’t stop playing. The sheer novelty of controlling a movie was magic. We argued about trap timings, missed crucial cues, and laughed ourselves stupid watching someone get (dodgily) dragged into a wall panel. This wasn’t just a game. It was a sleepover event.
Where to Play It Today
Sonic Adventure 2 (DC) 2001
At A Glance
With Sega’s hardware business circling the drain and the Dreamcast’s fate looking grim, Sonic Adventure 2 blasted onto the scene with the kind of breakneck confidence only a hedgehog can muster. Where the first Adventure game was a little janky, a little unsure of itself, the sequel was all killer no filler. It brought tight levels, dual storylines, and more attitude than a 2000s nu-metal playlist. It wasn’t just a great swan song for the Dreamcast, it was a reminder of why so many Aussie kids still backed Sonic in playground arguments. I was one.
Gameplay Gist
Split into Hero and Dark campaigns, Sonic Adventure 2 lets you bounce between Sonic, Tails and Knuckles or their bizarro counterparts Shadow, Eggman and Rouge. Speed stages were blistering, rail-grinding set pieces. Mech battles were chunky and explosive. Treasure hunts were the most divisive, but gave us a chance to explore verticality and secrets. Oh, and the Chao Garden? A glorified Tamagotchi that somehow became the most beloved feature in the game. All of it backed by an unapologetically early-2000s soundtrack that slapped.
Connoisseur Cheat Sheet
Sonic and Shadow’s stages were the blueprints for how 3D Sonic could work when given tight corridors and momentum-based level design. Many fans consider Sonic Adventure 2 the best 3D Sonic title, even if the series struggled to keep the quality up in future entries.
Kinda Similar
Ratchet & Clank (2002), Jak II (2003), Sonic Generations (2011)
Behind the Scenes Trivia
Shadow the Hedgehog was introduced here, becoming an instant edgelord icon. The story, originally intended as a much darker finale for the series, included themes of military conspiracy and sacrifice. Development shifted from Japan to Sega of America midway through to better align with the Western fan base.
The Dreamcast version was the last Sonic title to appear on Sega hardware. Ports came quickly, with Sonic Adventure 2: Battle hitting the GameCube in 2002, improving multiplayer and Chao stats.
Notable Cheats and Easter Eggs
You could raise Chaos with different animal parts to morph them into heroic or evil versions. On Dreamcast, the VMU let you take them on mini-games like Chao Adventure 2. There were hidden emblems, unlockable characters for multiplayer, and ways to tilt the karma of your Chao.
Core Memory
I imported a Dreamcast for games like this. I was that guy. And when Adventure 2 dropped, it felt like vindication. My mates laughed until they played City Escape and heard “Escape from the City.” Then we were all blissfully shredding rails together I even printed out full guides from GameFAQs to breed the perfect Chaos. Best use my VMUs ever got.
Where to Play It Today
Shadows of the Damned (PS3, X360) 2011
At A Glance
Imagine if Resident Evil 4 took a shot of tequila, borrowed Killer7’s art style, then went on a road trip through Hell with a talking skull as its GPS. That’s Shadows of the Damned in a nutshell. Born from a wild collaboration between Suda51 (No More Heroes), Shinji Mikami (Resident Evil), and Akira Yamaoka (Silent Hill), this punk horror shooter was loud, lewd, and wildly creative. It tanked commercially but won a cult following, especially here in Australia where the weird and wonderful always find a home.
Gameplay Gist
You play as Garcia Hotspur, a demon hunter whose girlfriend is kidnapped by the Lord of Demons. Cue a bloody rampage through a twisted underworld armed with upgradeable bone-based weapons and a floating, foul-mouthed skull named Johnson. Gameplay is third-person over-the-shoulder, borrowing heavily from Resident Evil 4‘s structure. But where RE4 played it tense, Damned goes gleefully unhinged. Expect demon baby gates, light and dark puzzles, and levels with titles like “What a Wonderful World.”
Connoisseur Cheat Sheet
The game’s light-versus-dark mechanic was more than window dressing. Certain enemies could only be killed in light or shadow, and managing that balance under pressure added a tense strategic twist to combat. Suda51 would later expand on this dynamic weirdness in Let It Die and Killer is Dead.
Kinda Similar
Killer7 (2005), Resident Evil 4 (2005), Lollipop Chainsaw (2012)
Behind the Scenes Trivia
The game was originally pitched as a much darker, more straightforward survival horror project titled Kurayami, inspired by Franz Kafka’s The Castle. After numerous rewrites and a decision to lean into the absurd, EA rebranded it into the grindhouse oddity it became. The decision to keep Yamaoka’s musical sensibilities intact was a stroke of genius. His haunting, dissonant soundscapes give the chaos surprising emotional weight.
Despite low sales, the game’s unique voice and irreverence earned it admiration among game developers and critics. A spiritual successor is rumoured to be in the works as of 2025, following renewed interest after Lollipop Chainsaw RePOP’s announcement.
Notable Cheats and Easter Eggs
In typical Suda fashion, there are hidden red gems for weapon upgrades stashed in bizarre places, including shooting goat heads or lighting censored statues. You can also trigger an alternate ending cutscene by completing the game on Hard and collecting all the storybook pages.
Core Memory
I picked this up on launch day out of sheer curiosity. Anything with Mikami and Suda on the box was an automatic buy. Two hours later, I was blasting demon babies while Johnson shouted, “Taste my big boner!” across the lounge room. It was juvenile, yes, but also a brilliantly surreal blend of styles I’d never seen before. Like watching Evil Dead II if it was co-directed by Tarantino and Tim Burton.
