Cancelled Sega Genesis Shooter Will Be Released in 2025

P-47 MD II will get a physical release 35 years after it was completed

By Garrett Martin | January 14, 2025 | 5:22pm

Video Games News Sega Genesis

Cancelled Sega Genesis Shooter Will Be Released in 2025

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It’s 2025, and that can mean only one thing: a new Sega Genesis game is on the way. (Or Mega Drive, for all you non-Americans.) Retro-Bit has announced the upcoming release of P-47 MD II, a shooter that was developed for the Genesis / Mega Drive between 1989 and 1990 but never released. The limited edition cartridge is available for pre-order today through February 16.

Although P-47 MD II was completed in 1990 under the name P-47 II: The Freedom Star, its release was cancelled by its publisher Jaleco. This side-scroller shooter is a sequel to NMK’s 1988 World War II arcade shoot ‘em up P-47: The Phantom Fighter. P-47 got around in the late ‘80s; home versions were released for a half-dozen platforms at the time, from the Amiga to the ZX Spectrum, with the PC Engine port a particular standout. (Sadly it was not localized for the Turbografx-16.) In recent years the arcade version of P-47 has made it onto the Switch and the PlayStation 4 through Hamster’s excellent Arcade Archivers series, and if you own the Evercade handheld, you can play it as part of Jaleco Arcade 1.

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Although P-47 did eventually get an arcade sequel with 1995’s P-47 Aces, its original sequel would’ve been P-47 MD II. The rediscovered game shares the same side-scrolling orientation and World War II setting as the original, but adds some new gameplay elements, such as two pods (or “wingmen”) that your ship can acquire, along with other new weapons.

Retro-Bit’s physical release is on a cartridge that plays on Genesis and Mega Drive systems, as well as any newer systems capable of playing original Sega cartridges. Included with the package is a full-color manual, a miniature CD with the game’s soundtrack, and a numbered slipcover. The box art is by Tankro Kato, who’s known for his art on the packaging of model kits, which makes him perfect for a game about a real World War II-era aircraft.

The limited edition physical release of P-47 MD II is available for pre-order today through February 16 at Retro-Bit’s site, as well as at a variety of online retailers in North America and Europe. You can find a full list of retailers at Retro-Bit. It’s priced at $54.99 USD ($79.99 CAD / 69.99 EUR). If you want to see P-47 MD II in action, you can check out the official trailer below. And if you want to know what this P-47 business is all about before buying in, you can find the arcade original on the Switch and PlayStation.