Even the most diehard Sonic The Hedgehog fan could be forgiven for missing out on playing Waku Waku Sonic Patrol Car. The 1991 arcade game was released exclusively in Japan for small kids, placed within a car-shaped cabinet that was big enough for junior and their adult minder. Thankfully, the title, which had been thought lost for the better part of two decades, has now been found. If you’re prepared to wait a little longer, then the game will be available on the MAME arcade emulator along a forthcoming software update.
The effort to resurrect Waku Waku has been something of an international affair, with Sonic Paradise finding a partially-working model in the dark recesses of a Spanish shopping mall. 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. According to Medved, the cabinet cost just $350, but shipping and import duties pushed that figure well past the $5,000 mark. 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.
[Image Credit: Sonic Retro]
Via: Kotaku
Source: Sonic Retro, MAMEWorld, GitHub