of hardware. Sega was concentrating on the impending release of the Saturn and Sonic was still a monster success. And so Ristar was put to pasture". In 2017, Gamesradar ranked Ristar 41st on their "Best Sega Genesis/Mega Drive games of all time." Legacy In a 2006 interview, Ristar designer Akira Nishino said:Will Ristar come back? Probably not. Of course, as a game developer, I would love to see it happen. At the time of the original, I was thinking of a sequel. It got as far as a character design for that sequel, but it didn't happen for various reasons. But since fans have a say in such matters, your input is greatly appreciated. While Ristar has never received any sequels, it has received further attention in later years through re-releases in several Sonic and Sega-themed compilations, including Sonic Mega Collection, Sega Genesis Collection, Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, and Sega Forever. It has also been released for digital download for the Virtual Console and Steam. In 2021, it was released on the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack. The game was also included on the North American and European edition of the Sega Genesis Mini 2, released on October 27, 2022. Ristar, as a character, has only made a few minor cameo appearances outside of his two original games in 1995. In Sega's two Shenmue games for the Dreamcast, Shenmue and Shenmue II, the player can choose to spend money to purchase a randomly selected collectible 'Gachapons' (capsule toys) from a machine; one of the possibilities in both games is a Ristar figurine. He also briefly appeared in the introductory video of the 2001 Japan-only Dreamcast game Segagaga. Ristar did not make any more appearances until 2010, where he makes a cameo appearance in a downloadable track for Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing due to the high demand for him to be in the game. He also made an appearance as a flagman in the sequel, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, in 2012. In 2012, Ristar was cited by GameSpot as one of the examples of lost video games from the 1990s that deserved to return. Notes References 1995 video games Video games set in outer space Video games set on fictional planets Fictional characters who can stretch themselves Sega Genesis games Virtual Console games Side-scrolling platform games Sega video games Nintendo Switch Online games Video games developed in Japan